Chaos Chronicles: The Blackened Cross
by Angel-Heart279
Summary: When Bruce Banner is called over to Scotland along with the other members of the Avengers to have a look into strange events and readings they don't expect to be dragged into a three hundred and fourteen year old battle of light & dark. While Alba -a mysterious & reclusive woman struggling with the past that is haunting her- searches for answers she hoped to never see become truth.
1. Chapter 1

**_~Scotland, 1700s,~_**

In a courtyard of a large beautiful castle stood a not so beautiful black wooden cross on a light wooden platform. People gathered around and were being kept in line by guards as the darkened sky grew bright with the light of dawn. They started to shout and cheer and merchants sold their goods -mainly food and drink- to the excited crowd. Standing at the front of the growing crowd was a solemn priest holding a small black Bible in his neatly crossed hands.

Inside of the castle, down in the dank and dingy dungeons, knelt a thin figure with long dirty hair over their face dressed in filthy rags inside one of the many dark cells. They could hear the crowd's cheering and shouts, they could hear the merchants, and above all they could hear the heavy footsteps of no less than six guards marching their way towards the cell.

When the heavy metal bound wooden door was wrenched open and light from the torches fell upon the figure they did not move. They did not lift their head or even flinch when the door was opened, nor did they move when two guards grabbed them by their arms to pull them off of their knees after two other guards unchained them. The two guards holding the figure proceeded to drag them out of the cell and up out of the dungeons.

The figure landed with a thump as their hands and knees collided with the cold stone floor of the throne room but even as a pair of feet appeared in front of them they still did not look up and their long dirty hair hid their face.

The figure heard words being said from above them- words like 'witchcraft' and 'sorcery' caught their ears- but they no longer cared for they knew there was no way to escape the fate that awaited them. Once the person speaking fell silent one of the guards grabbed the figure's dirty hair in one fist and pulled it back as two other guards held the figure's shoulders. A whistle from a dagger in a guardsman's hand was the only warning the figure had before their hair fell around their face in a short uneven bob while the rest of the tresses fell to the floor behind them.

"And upon the cross by fire you shall die."

The guards grabbed the figure's arms again, dragging them out of the throne room and then out into the bright and cold air of a Scottish morning. The figures appearance in the courtyard as they were dragged across the cold uneven stones inspired the crowd to burst into even louder cheers and shouts. Items, such as food and stones, were thrown at the figure and the six guards as they tried to get to the platform. The figure didn't even put up a fight, continuing to just let the guards drag them towards the platform, as they knew that, even if there was a God Almighty looking down upon the courtyard in this moment, there was no hope of escaping this fate.

"Our Lord, which art in heaven," The priest said reciting the Lord's pray from memory, "Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever,"

He turned just in time to see the figure being dragged past him and whispered, "Amen," in shock at the sight of him before the limp figure was dragged up the steps and then over to the wooden cross to be held against it by four of the guards while the last two bound the figure to it tightly. The priest looked on the figure with pity, "Only God can save your soul now child! Is there anything you wish to confess?"

But the figure didn't reply.

"Child, please!" The priest shouted up to them, "You are about to die do you not think you would be in God's favour for you to confess your sins now? If you do not confess now there will not be any other time to do so before your soul is handed to the Devil himself!"

Still nothing slipped the lips of the figure even as their arms were bound to the cross at their wrists, elbows, and then their shoulders so the four guards could release their hold on them and help the other two to further bind the figure to the cross.

"Child!" The priest shouted again, "Do you wish to become the Devil's bride!?"

The figure looked at the priest and gave a sad smile.

"I do not fear the Devil but it was one of his servants who has done his will and sent me to this awful fate, Sir." The figure spoke. It was like a whisper compared to the crowd's cheers and shouts but the priest heard it and raced up the steps to place himself in front of them.

"How is that, my child?" He asked.

"He is one of the current guests of the Earl, Sir. That is how. I refused him. I stuck to the Lord God's words and his teachings and told the Devil's servant no and yet here I am. I will pay for being faithful, I will die for my refusal of temptation and sin, and the gates of heaven will remain closed to me for I know the Devil has his servants among men. I would not be here in front of you if I had given my assent but the gates of heaven would be closed to me all the same."

"What did the Devil's servant ask of you?" The priest demanded but a guard told him to get off the platform as they had finished their task of binding the figure to the cross. The priest refused and told the guard he was taking the figure's confession but he simply gave the word for his fellow guards to forcibly remove the priest, which they did and the figure watched them go with saddened eyes.

"Child! Tell me! What did he ask of you!?" The priest shouted as he fought his way out of the arms of the guards and ran to the edge of the platform while the figure watched him.

Though the priest never heard the reply as the crowd erupted with cheers and he was pulled back from the platform as a fire burst into life from underneath and quickly consumed the crude structure. The priest stood helpless watching the flames rapidly spread closer to figure bound to the cross. Even the way the bonds were done insured pain should the figure attempted to escape the flames on natural instinct- the bonds wound under their arms, around the bottom of their rib cage, over their hips, and above their knees and ankles with tight thin cords of blacked rope from the fishing boats. A rope that could hold for years to come against any and all ruff seas and no mere human could escape.

Tears were running down the figure's cheeks as they looked up at the rare sight of a beautifully clear blue sky, watching as it was poisoned by the thick black smoke and floating embers of the fire licking up around them. Their lips moved to voice a final thought but the words were lost in the crackling roar of the flames.

"Oh Lord, be thy saviour and rescue this innocent from the hands of the Devil and his servant," the priest prayed, "Save your humble servant from this awful fate."

**_~Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, 2014,~_**

"Bruce!" Tony shouted causing the physicist to glance up from the book he was reading to look at Tony across from him, though when he had began reading he was sure it was Steve who sat there, "What are you reading?"

"A book." Bruce responded, shrugging off the question, "One that I bought at the airport before leaving the US."

"About what?" Tony pressed, "Is it fiction? Non-fiction? Give me a clue here!"

"It's kind if a bit of both Tony." Bruce said causing Tony to frown at him for being vague. Bruce sighed and put his head in his hand so he couldn't see Tony, "It's a book filled with stories about witches and wizards from around the world." He didn't hear anything from Tony, not even the laughing he had expected to hear, only the sound of the other Avengers on the jet talking, playing games, or watching TV. Glad for the silence, he went back to reading until Tony finally said something, looking up from his book, "Sorry?"

"I asked if it was any good?" Tony repeated.

"It's alright." Bruce offered, "I'm currently on the Scottish witches section." Tony made a noise to signal he wanted to hear more about it and Bruce sighed, "You'd find it boring."

"Try me." Tony commanded and Bruce looked him over for any sign that he was just trying to make a conversation and really didn't care but found Tony's desire to know more to be genuine, causing Bruce to sigh again.

"So far there has been an African Voodoo master, an Arabian enchantress, and a Scottish witch who was burnt at the stake for all sorts of witchcraft, including the bewitchment of a lord's son... Or something along those lines. It's a bit difficult to tell if it was a lord's son or a guest of a lord."

"You had me hooked at the Arabian enchantress. Tell me there's a picture."

"Really Tony?"

"A Scottish witch who bewitched a lord's son? Aren't we going to Scotland?" Bruce nodded and Tony smirked, "I guess you could hold a séance then."

"Tony!" Bruce growled warningly before the book was pulled from his hands, "TONY!"

"I just want a look!" Tony shouted, flicking through the book while keeping it from Bruce's reaching hands, "FOUND IT!"

He smiled at the picture, "What I wouldn't give to meet that in real life. Hey! Do you think witches and enchantresses still live? If so could we track one down and ask them to work some magic on Capsicle?"

Bruce snatched his book back from Tony's hands and tried to cover up his smile at his joke as Tony taunted, "Laugh Bruce. I know you want to."

**_~Ailsa Craig, Scottish Isles, 2014,~_**

Alba woke up screaming before she tumbled to the floor with the covers of her bed wrapped tightly around her. She fought her way out of them and screamed again as the fireplace suddenly burst into life with large amber flames shooting up before her eyes. Getting up she ran from the fireplace, and wrenched her room door open before running down the stairs, then up the steps to the right before running up yet another set of stairs. She tripped on the top step and fell through the double doors at the top of them before landing on the cold stone floor, panting for breath.

This wasn't the first time this had happened and Alba knew it wouldn't be the last. Every night the same dream. No. Not dream- memory- and she always somehow ended up on the stone chapel floor panting for breath. Alba hated it but there was nothing she could do to stop it and after taking a deep settling breath she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees before finally getting up onto her feet.

"Lord, forgive me for I have sinned," she sighed as she walked across the large room that was the castle chapel and over to the alter where she knelt down. Alba bowed her head causing long, thick, and wild black hair to fall over her face as she put her hands together in prayer, her skin a light sapphire blue, and closed her dark blue eyes. "I have strayed from the path you have lead me down, I have strayed from your teachings and I struggle to keep my faith in you. Please Lord, show me how to stay upon the path you have set me down. Amen." She opened her eyes and her skin was back to it's normal milky white skin colour causing her to smile, "Thank you Lord." She stood up on her knees and caught her image in the pool of Holy Water in the alter basin. Her hair was back to it's normal long brown tresses and her eyes were back to normal blue. She dipped her index and middle finger on her right hand into the water and tapped the middle of her forehead, the middle of her chest, her left shoulder, and finally her right shoulder before rising to her feet.

Alba saw the stain glass windows in the wall behind the alter start to glow with the light from the rising dawn. The beautiful colours fell down onto her, the alter, and the stone floor so she were covered with translucent blues, pinks, reds, greens, and yellows, causing her to smile before sighing as they disappeared just as quickly as they had come. Then with a sharp turn she walked back out of the chapel, closed the doors, and walked slowly down the stairs while holding her white nightgown as she went on her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

Standing on the connecting balcony in the chapel, overlooking the whole room, was something that she refused to look up at and hadn't for a long time. It was clear that Alba hated the large blackened item and wished to forget both the memory and the item. It was both the item and the memory that it awoke within her mind every night that she slept that caused her to go through the same routine day in, day out without fail.

Yet the memory never stopped her from continuing her day to day life in the castle that she called home and had been doing so from the moment she woke up inside its walls. As she left the chapel and headed to the kitchen she made one detour, straying from her course to go over to the record player in the grand hall. She turned it on and played the record that was already on it causing trumpets and drums to start up from the gramophone before being joined by some voices singing.

_'__Love, love, love._

_Love, love, love._

_Love, love, love.'_

They sung and Alba joined in with the Beatles in their song, _'All you need is love'_, as you started to make breakfast and the empty castle filled with music.

_'__There's nothing you can do that can't be done._

_Nothing you can sing that can't be sung._

_Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy.' _


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce held on tightly to the arms of his chair as the large jet came in to land in Scotland's capital; Edinburgh. He had been doing some research on Scotland since he had found out that the Avengers were all to travel to the UK for their latest mission. He had always wanted to see the rest of the UK and not just the busy London streets which he had visited a number of times both before and after his accident. He was looking forward to seeing the wild countryside that Scotland had to offer and the many isles it had as well. Through this couldn't be said for the rest of the team.

"I wonder if Union Jack is going to be joining us." Tony voiced as he collected his bag from the overhead locker.

"I would have thought that Captain Britain would have been a better choice." Steve said still seated watching and waiting for the seatbelt sign to be turned off before he stood up and collected his things.

"His car wouldn't fit us all in it if he was going to join us." Natasha said as she took out her bag and placed it on a table, "Its way too small as it is only a Mini."

"One of the good old ones I bet." Steve said as the seatbelt sign turned off with a binging sound, "I can't see him with anything less." Natasha smiled and nodded as she packed away her things. Bruce stood up, picked up his things and left the jet with the others as they slowly filed out one by one after collecting their things. Bruce was the very last one to leave the jet.

"Good old Britain!" Tony shouted from in front of Bruce as he pulled out an umbrella, "Always raining! I came prepared this time Scotland! I came prepared!"

"Who are you talking to?" Clint asked but Tony didn't answer him as the group all walked across the short amount of tarmac between the jet and the airport and entered the building. Once inside Tony put down his umbrella while the others all tried to shake off the rain. "When's Thor arriving?"

"Tomorrow." Natasha said before she walked over to one of the desks with the sign _**PASSPORT CONTROL**_ written on it in white on a blue background where a plump and bolding man behind the desk checked her passport.

"By the way Tony." Bruce said as he and the billionaire walked over to the same desk, "It's not always raining over here, just most of the time. You do get some good days."

"Welcome!" A small and skinny woman with long wavy ginger hair, snow white skin, green eyes and freckles over her cheeks and nose dressed in tall black heels, black pencil skirt, white silk shirt and a black blazer jacket said once the group got out of the car at the Edinburgh SHEILD HQ, "Welcome to HQ. We have tea, coffee and breakfast inside for you all in the conference room where you'll be briefed on your mission."

"Thanks sweetheart." Tony said with his usual playboy smile, "I'm Tony Stark -also known as Iron Man- and who might you be?"

"I'm Rona MacDonald." The woman said plainly.

"Rona? Nice name." Tony said while putting his arm around Rona's slim shoulders and started walking up the steps to the large black marble and glass walled building, "May I ask what you do here?"

"I'm Miss Stuart's secretary and I have your file here so I know about your current relationship status." Rona held up a small and thin black folder like item, "Plus you're not my type."

"And what is your type?"

"Tall and skinny with brown hair, brown eyes and not male." Rona said causing Tony to remove his arm while saying sorry before opening the door for Rona and the others, "Well now that's out of the way I'll show you to the conference room where Miss Stuart is waiting for you all. Feel free to help yourselves to the tea, coffee and breakfast." They walked past a black marble reception and security desk and then down a long black marble floored and white walled corridor. Dark wooden doors with frosted glass and gold name plaques stood next to floor to ceiling windows allowing views into large offices.

"Could you give us an insight into what's going on and why we were called in?" Natasha asked as the windows in the corridors started to slow disappear the further down the corridor they went.

"No I can't." Rona said before stopping at a large black door and opened it for the group. The room was large and had a lot of space in it even with a large oval shaped black table surrounded with computer chairs. Large floor to ceiling windows gave the room a perfect view of the city. "But Miss Stuart has a team ready to meet you and hand the case over to you all. I'll see you all later. Is that everything Miss Stuart?"

"Thank you Rona." A tall woman with blond hair done up in a tight bun at the back of her head said while standing up. She was dressed in a similar manner to Rona but with black trousers instead of a skirt. "Would you be able to send an e-mail to Director Fury informing him that the Avengers have arrived and contact Roger for me please."

"To cancel or delay?" Rona asked while unfolding the small thin black folder which turned out to be an _iPad mini_ and unlocked it before opening up an App.

"Hopefully to delay but tell him that I may have to cancel." Miss Stuart said, "Tell him tomorrow lunch time would be the next time I'm free."

"I could get you into the Hilton tonight if you wanted." Rona said while looking at something on the iPad before looking up at Miss Stuart who smiled and nodded, "Alright. I'll get everything arranged and if you need me you can just call me. Avengers, I'll see you all later." Rona closed the cover of the iPad then left the room and closed the door behind her leaving the Avengers in the room alone with Miss Stuart.

"I don't think you've had anything to eat since dinner which was midway through your flight." Miss Stuart said causing the Avengers all to look at her. She gave a small smile and gestured to a long table filled with food for breakfast and two small tables at each side of the large table; one had large jugs for hot water, coffee and milk along with a large collection of Twinings teabags while the other table held bottles of sauces and even baked beans. "Please help yourself and call me Rachel."

"Thank you Rachel!" Tony nearly shouted while crossing the room quickly and helping himself to the breakfast food and was quickly followed by Clint, Steve and Natasha while Bruce made himself a cup of _Twinings Everyday Tea & Green Tea Blend_.

"So, what's the problem Rachel?" Natasha asked as she made herself some _English Breakfast _tea after giving up on trying to get to the fruit bowl.

"There has been some unusual activity here in Scotland but lately it has been mainly up in the Isles." Rachel said as the Avengers all sat down at the table with their food and drink, "We normally have the odd blip of this activity every few decades but they're tiny and don't cause much concern as the Northern lights are the cause." She pressed a button on a remote causing the large floor to ceiling glass windows to fog up until they were pitch black and then with another click of a button a projector loaded up with a picture of Scotland.

"But this is highly unusual. It has incredibly similar readings from Thor, Loki and the Bifrost." Bruce and the others looked at the picture. All of the Scottish Isles had a red glow over them and most of the mainland was covered in the same red glow.

"Where did these readings start up?" Bruce asked.

"They started over in Romania but they were much weaker than these ones." Rachel said, "Then they moved through Europe until they reached here in Edinburgh where they exploded into this large and strong reading."

"Where in Edinburgh?" Tony asked.

"Edinburgh castle." Rachel said before clicking another button to show the courtyard of the castle, "It happened in the middle of the day during a Tattoo rehearsal." She looked around the group to find them all looking at her blankly; except Bruce.

"The Tattoo –or Military Tattoo as it's also known- is a Military performance that attracts people from all around the world." Bruce told them, "It's all about the Military bands like the _Top Secret Drum Core._"

"I love their performances!" Rachel said, "Luckily for them they weren't practicing at the time that the explosion of power happened. Unfortunately half of the _Royal Scots Pipe Band_ was practicing at the time. None of them were killed but the injuries that they got were the equivalent to those you get from a bomb going off near you." She clicked the button again and a video started playing with Bagpipes being played in the background. A few moments passed and then a bright flash filled the video before it cut out.

"What caused the explosion?" Tony asked.

"We don't know." Rachel said, "One moment everything was fine and then the next everything was in chaos. Over the next few days Stirling Castle had these readings and then the _Wallace Monument_, then Glasgow where they popped up at the _Glasgow Cathedra_l and the _Necropolis_ which is right behind the cathedral, the _Tollbooth Steeple_, _People's Palace_, _Kelvingrove_, the _Transport Museum_, and then back to Edinburgh to _Grey Fryers graveyard_ before finally heading up to the Isles taking all the old roads."

"How many old roads are there?" Clint asked.

"Enough to dye the north of Scotland in red on this map," Rachel said, "There are even roads that this energy took that we didn't even know about."

"Why didn't you know about them?" Steve asked.

"Because they are hundreds of years old," Rachel said, "The oldest ones go all the way back to the 15th Century."

"What?" The group asked collectively causing Rachel to nod.

"Sorry to say but we think we have another case like the one you had with Thor and Loki." Rachel said before there was a knock at the door, "Come in!" The group turned in their seats to look at the door as it opened to show Rona stood at the door.

"Jeff and Logan are ready." She said.

"Good!" Rachel said, "Send them in and bring Lucy in as well." Rona nodded before leaving and closing the door again.

When the door had reopened two men and one woman had joined the group and explained in more detail about the readings and the tasks in the mission that the Avengers would be focusing on for the time being. Lucy was a tall African woman with long braided black hair and chocolate brown eyes dressed in a crisp dark blue suit and white shirt. Jeff was a plump man with brown hair, blue eyes which were behind large thick square framed glasses, lots of freckles covering his face dressed in black dress pants and a white shirt with a very thick Scottish accent and Logan was, by the look of it, just out of collage with long blond hair pulled back into a low pony tail and blue eyes dressed in jeans, white shirt and a black tie.

"So Widow and Hawkeye," Lucy said, "You'll both be going to Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument to see what you can find. Rona has all the information you'll need including hotel arrangements, hire car and even your covers which you can use if and when needed. Luckily no-one really knows much about the Avengers over here except Iron Man and Captain America."

"I'd be surprised if no-one knew me." Tony said with a wink at Lucy who smiled at him.

"I'll be working with you in the lab Doctor Banner and Mr Stark." Logan said, "We have everything you need including access to all and any experts in the whole of the UK." Bruce nodded while Tony laughed and made another comment.

"Captain," Jeff said, "You'll be going with Thor to Glasgow to see if either of you can find anything. Rona also has all the information the two of you will need."

"Makes sense if that's the place this energy reading had spent the most time there." Steve said while nodding. "Maybe Thor will find something. "

"Speaking of Thor," Rachel said, "Where is said God of Thunder?"

"He'll be arriving here later today." Bruce said after finishing off his third cup of tea. The stuff was just too good not to have more so when Rachel had called the meeting to an end and called Rona into the room to give Clint, Natasha and Steve the information that they needed Bruce picked up the remaining teabags and left the room with Tony.

"Sounds like we're going to have fun stuck in the lab." Tony said.


	3. Chapter 3

Alba had been doing all her work around the castle for hours while listening to the _Beatles_ singing away and filling the castle with their music. She had even gone into the castle's library and reread her favourite book -_Alice in Wonderland_- after all her work and after changing into fresh cloths -a high necked white blouse tucked into a long brown skirt with brown boots- but even that didn't pass much of her time.

So Alba had taken to heading up the staircase in the library to the upper library, walked past all of the bookcases filled with many colourful books then walked out of the upper library. She walked past the stone spiral staircase leading down into the grand hall and the lower bedrooms, past the steps to the chapel, then the stairs to her room, the balcony overlooking the grand hall and the stairs to the garden before walking over to the large white wooden grand piano.

She smiled to herself as she looked over the song books that were sat inside the piano stool. She didn't know which one to take out and play first. There was one on the _Beetles, ABBA, The Supremes_ and even _the Monkeys_ but there was still so many more. There was even a new song sheet in there for a song called, _The Power of Love_ by _Gabrielle Aplin_. Alba remembered the name from one of the records that she had. It was one of her newer ones and she was happy to get it as it had been a while since she had last gotten a new record.

She took out the song sheet and closed the piano stool before setting up the sheet music and pulled the stool closer to the piano. She sat down and tested the peddles and then the keys. By the time she was ready to start playing the record player finished and she started to play with a gentle touch of the fist key of the song. Over the years Alba had taught herself to play the piano and how to do other things as well as she had so much time on her hands while being stuck on such remote island.

"Hello Markus!" Alba shouted half way through the song as she heard one of the heavy front doors of the castle open and close. She heard Markus' chuckle in reply. "How are you today? I hope the journey wasn't too rough."

"No Madam." Markus said before Alba heard him walking down the stairs into the great hall from the entry hall, "The journey wasn't too rough, in fact it was rather pleasant." She smiled before she heard him turn off the gramophone and then make his way up to the grand piano. "You're a wonderful player."

"You know you don't have to call me that." She said while playing the final notes of the song just as he walked over to her.

"Call you what?" Markus asked as he stopped and stood next to her. His grey eyes watched her hands as he waited for her answer. She glanced up at him quickly and seen his coppery coloured hair had grown longer and was almost touching the collar of his black t-shirt, his skin was clearer than the last time she had seen him and his grey eyes watching her hand carefully as he tried to learn how she played so well.

"Madam." Alba said before finishing the song and folding her hands on her lap, "My name is Alba and not that title that that French priest gave me." She looked up at him to find him grinning cheekily. He was still so boyish in her eyes.

"What, Madam Chaos?" He asked causing Alba to grimace at the name, "I think it's rather cool to be honest. It suits your other form."

"Which you have only seen once," Alba said while getting up and walking away from the piano and back towards the spiral staircase with him hot on her heels, "And you were sneaking around at the time anyway."

"But you were practicing the Highland Fling," He argued, "So where was the harm in seeing that?"

"You were lucky that it wasn't another dance." She said, "Otherwise you wouldn't be here now with the Brotherhood." Markus stopped and smiled shyly as Alba went down the spiral staircase to the grand hall, "You have it lucky you know. Many men and boys from my time would have given up everything they owned to be where you are now."

"What about you?" He asked while running down the stairs to catch up with her as she crossed the grand hall to the kitchen.

"I am a woman and therefore not allowed in the Brotherhood." Alba said while walking past plant pots filled with fresh vegetables that lined the walls of a small room that was before the kitchen. She then entered the kitchen with grey marble counter tops that matched the stone walls, a large white skin, a white wood fire oven and a matching fire place with a large black cooking pot and black cast iron kettle sat next to it. "Plus you know my story and why I'm here so let's leave it at that. Now, what do you need from me?" She took out two cups and a large jug and placed the cups on the counter before filling the jug with fresh water from the tap.

"Why do you think I'm here for something?" Markus asked.

"Father Douglas never sends you here without a reason." She said while smiling at him and holding the now filled jug of water in her hands, "Tea?" Markus sighed and gave her a small smile.

"Why not?" He asked causing her to smile more before crossing over to the cast iron kettle and pouring the water into it before lifting it up onto the long hook and gently swung it round so it was over the fire in the fire place.

"So what does Father Douglas want then?" Alba asked as she turned back to Markus.

Alba sat at the main dining table in the grand hall reading the newspaper that Markus had brought her while she waited for the potion that Father Douglas had asked for to brew. The main table was stood up on a slightly higher platform than the other two tables even though it could sit the same number of people at the table -three people per table and each chair facing the middle of the hall. The grand piano had once sat in the middle of the room –in plain view of all the chairs around all three tables- but it had made the room feel cramped so Alba had moved it up stairs near the spare bedroom stairs.

"Markus!" She shouted as she looked at the weather page with a frown. Something had caught her eye that made her feel uneasy.

"Yes?" Markus asked as he came out of the only bathroom in the castle while drying his hands with a towel.

"Do you know where that newspaper from a about a week ago is?" She asked while turning her blue eyes to him as she sat up straight with her arms folded on the table at the bottom of the new paper. Markus frowned at the question before throwing the towel back into the bathroom and walked to the far end of the table to Alba's left. He crossed the room from there and headed into the library. Alba glanced up at the grey and silver grandfather clock with blue painted numbers on its face that stood up on the upper floor of the grand hall to find it was only mid-day as she took a sip of her tea before Markus walked out of the library holding another newspaper.

"This one?" He asked and held it up for her to see the front cover and it showed Edinburgh Castle's courtyard in flames from a large blast with white letters on top of the picture saying; _**'Explosion in Edinburgh Castle!'**_

"Yes that's it." She said while placing her cup of tea back down before pushing the paper in front of her to the side and held out her hand for the old one as Markus walked over to her. She flicked through the old paper's pages until she found the weather page and looked at it closely.

"What is it?" Markus asked as Alba frowned at the paper.

"I'm not sure yet." She said before putting the two pictures of Scotland's weather movements next to each other. Once she had done so and examined them both she gasped. "How did I miss that?"

"Miss what?"

"This!" She showed Markus the weather section of the older newspaper. He looked at it closely but he raised his eye brows at it and looked at her with a lost expression. Alba rolled her eyes before pointing at the large red swirl with a green outline. "Right, this red area is a hot spot which is followed by mild air which is created when hot air and cold air mix. The blue area is all the cold air but where this hot air swirl is doesn't fit."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this swirl in this picture has an odd pattern to it. The mild air is too thin around it to be natural. This was a sudden burst of heat."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning something very powerful happened in that spot." Alba closed the paper so that the front page was on top, "Something very powerful happened in the capital's castle courtyard." She pointed to the picture and Markus' eyes widened as he saw the picture.

"I'll be heading back to the mainland as soon as the potion is finished." He said, "I'll inform Father Douglas of this and we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Markus, you're going to need my help with this." Alba said while standing up, "Please. Bring me as much information as you can. Let me help you figure this out. It will be much faster."

"What are you thinking Madam?" He asked but she remained silent and stared at him, "Madam please tell me what you are thinking so that I can…" He sighed and shook his head at the puppy dog look she was giving him. "Alright, I'll see what I can get for you but if Father Douglas finds out-"

"He won't. I promise." Alba said while resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Now, that potion should be done by now. I'll go and bottle it while you go and gather your things. Take the newspaper with you." She pointed at him in a motherly sort of way which caused him to smile slightly and nodded to show her that he understood.

"Yes, Madam." He said causing her to roll her eyes before she turned and headed towards the doorway at the bottom of the right hand staircase from the entrance hall.

"Go and get ready Markus." She shouted, "The sooner you leave the sooner you get back!" She then disappeared though the door way and down the narrow corridor before entering a large room. To her left was her alchemy lab, in front of her was a set of stairs going down and to her right was a pedestal with a purple sphere with a light purple glow sat on a red cushion with a gold trim. Then just to the right of the sphere was an old looking table with candles on its far edge closest to the wall and a green glow coming off of the surface.

Alba's eyes wondered over to the sphere for a moment as it gently glowed. A part of her wanted to go over to it but she shook her head and headed over to the lab instead before beginning her work with the potion. What Alba didn't notice as she turned her back to the sphere, its glow pulsed slightly before returning to normal while she worked away on bottling the potion.


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, so this is the lab." Logan said as he walked through a pair of large automated glass double doors and into a large white science lab filled with SHIELD's highest quality lab equipment, "We have everything that you're most likely going to need. If we don't Miss Stuart will order it and we'll have it in no time." Bruce walked around the lab trying to familiarise with it and all the placements of the equipment.

"So, where should we start?" Tony asked as he sat down at one of the many white computers. Logan looked at Bruce for an answer to Tony's question.

"How about starting with the video footage from the explosion?" Bruce said, "I want to know what exactly caused the blast."

"Okay! Hold on." Logan said before pulling up the video and playing it again for Tony and Bruce to watch.

"Play it again." Tony said once the video had finished. Logan frowned at him as he seen Tony doing something on the computer that he was sat at. "Never mind what I'm going. Play the video again please." Logan shrugged before playing the video again. "Bruce, did you see what I did?"

"Yeah..." Bruce said before approaching the large screen that the video was being played on, "Something moves across the screen from the left to the centre of the courtyard." He drew a red line following the path of the thing he and Tony seen before drawing a red circle in the middle of the screen where the blast came from. "It wasn't accidental."

"It was close enough to do some damage but not in the middle of the band where it could kill." Tony said, "So what is an attack where no-one gets killed?"

"A failed attack?" Logan suggested, "But what was it that moved across the courtyard?"

"What does the blast evidence say?" Tony asked as Bruce turned to look at Logan who moved uneasily.

"There wasn't any evidence except this and a large hole in the ground afterwards." Logan said, "Look at these if you don't believe me." The video disappeared as Logan pressed a button on a keyboard before pictures filled the screen.

"JARVIS," Tony said.

"Sir?" JARVIS' voice asked suddenly from the computer that Tony was sat at.

"Could you run the video through a filter program for us please?" Tony said.

"Of course Sir," JARVIS said, "But it will take some time."

"Thank you." Tony said before turning to Bruce, "But why set up a bomb? Why does it need to be a bomb? You heard what Rachel said about the readings; they started in Romania."

"Then why go through the trouble of blowing up the courtyard of Scotland's capital's castle?" Bruce asked and enlarged an image of the very centre of the blast, "Why blow up something here if they readings started in Romania?" Tony shrugged while Logan watched the two with pure fascination.

"Maybe it's a message?" Tony said finally, "Or even a warning."

"But to who?" Logan asked finally.

"Maybe it was unintentional." JARVIS said causing the three in the lab to look at the computer, "By looking at the video –even without filtering it- you can see the point of impact." The video came back up onto the large screen and started playing again. "If you slow it down you can see that the explosion does not start until there is an impact of a bright light. It seems almost as if it were a lighting strike." JARVIS replayed the video but slower to allow the three to see what he was talking about.

"So does that mean Thor's gone rouge then?" Logan asked causing Tony to laugh at the question.

"No, Mr Macmillan." JARVIS said causing Logan to frown at how JARVIS knew his last name, "There is no evidence to support that theory other than the very similar reading from the explosion when compared to the power readings of the Bifrost. Though, if you look more carefully at the light as it just hits the surface of the earth." The video played again but more focused on the light.

"Is there something moving down that beam of light?" Bruce asked.

"Yes Doctor Banner. That seems to be the case." JARVIS said.

"Whoa!" Logan said impressed, "This is just like what happened in _War of the Worlds_!" Tony and Bruce both looked at Logan. Tony gave him a disapproving but slightly humoured look while Bruce just looked at him confused causing Logan to look at him shocked. "Tom Cruz, aliens invade the Earth with large robotic outer shells, then all of them die because of the air being poisonous to them… Tell me you've seen the film or at least heard the original radio broadcast!" Tony looked at Bruce with a desperate look. Bruce still looked at them both confused.

"JARVIS, play the original broadcast of _War of the Worlds_." Tony said before a clip of the broadcast started up.

_**We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than men. A man said on the clip, Yet as mortal as his own.**_

"1938 on Halloween eve _CBS_ put on a Radio play with Orson Welles as either the director or Narrator." Bruce said causing the clip to stop playing, "The broadcast threw everyone into panic because they believed that we were under attack from aliens from Mars."

"Oh thank God you know what I'm talking about!" Logan said relieved, "Otherwise that would have been a wee bit awkward."

"I haven't seen the movie though." Bruce said.

"Don't worry about that." Logan said, "That is easy to fix and you'll know what I mean once you've seen it."

"So back to what you mean," Tony said, "You think something alive and not from this world came down that- that light stream and caused the explosion?"

"Yeah!" Logan grinned and nodded excitedly, "I think that's exactly what happened!"

"So that crack from the explosion was caused by the sheer amount of power from the impact." Tony said while looking at the photo which came back up onto the big screen, "Well that narrows the field."

"Do you think I could get the readings taken from the castle?" Bruce asked Logan.

"Don't see why not." Logan said before printing off the readings Bruce wanted and handing them to him. Bruce looked over them quickly and frowned.

"No radiation readings?" Bruce asked.

"The team that were there tried but they didn't really find any readings that were useful." Logan said, "You see the castle is built over an extinct volcano and they ruled that any reading for radiation may have been affected by the volcano itself."

"But it's no longer an active volcano." Bruce argued.

"I know but the team said that the radiation readings they got were the same as those you would think you would get from the centre of the earth." Logan said causing Bruce to frown even more.

"Well I'm going to need all readings taken that day." Bruce said, "Including the radiation readings." Tony looked at Bruce slightly confused while Logan nodded.

"Sure thing, I'll track the readings down, get them printed off and to you in no time." Logan said before turning his focus to the computer in front of him.

"What are you thinking?" Tony asked before looking at the door, "Hey Capsical, what's up?"

"Thor's here and he has some information for us." Steve said before Tony and Bruce turned and followed Steve out of the lab and back to the conference room where they found Clint, Natasha, Thor and Rachel stood around the table in the conference room.

"Wait a minute." Natasha said as she leant against the conference room table and Bruce, Tony and Steve walked into the room, "There's been readings and stuff like this before?"

"Yes." Thor said as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, "Heimdall said that he remembers such events happening before in this land."

"Does he say when they had happened before?" Steve asked causing the others to look at him and Tony while Bruce walked over to the tea and coffee table and made himself a cup of the tea he just couldn't get enough of.

"Over three hundred years ago." Thor said.

"That takes us back to the eighteenth century." Bruce said after taking a sip of tea, "I'll have a look into the history from then but I doubt we'll find anything."

"It's the best we've got." Clint said as Bruce took the new _Everyday Tea & Green Tea Blend _teabags and snuck them into his pocket.

"Also try seventeenth century stuff as well." Tony said while tapping his chin, "I'll have JARVIS give you a hand looking but as you said we might not find anything linking then to now. I mean there wasn't all this technology around then so readings would be impossible to use."

"Eye-witness reports would help the search." Natasha said.

"But they'll all be about witches and evil spirits." Tony said, "Ask Bruce, he knows about it all as he was reading a book about it all on the plane." This caused Bruce to look up at Thor.

"You don't think that there are any other races that could do what's happened here?" He asked but Thor shook his head.

"Sorry but I don't think so." Thor said, "But Heimdall did say that he's trying to find a similar energy to the one we are looking for."

"What makes him say that?" Clint asked but Thor shrugged.

"Heimdall doesn't always share what is going through his mind with others." Thor said, "He only tells them things that are important to them at the time anything else he keeps to himself until it is important."

"That's helpful." Natasha said.

"Do we have anything else that could help us?" Rachel asked while turning to look at Tony and Bruce.

"We have a lead that we're following at the moment." Bruce said.

"Which is?" Rachel pressed on for a better answer.

"It seems that something arrived on Earth through a light stream of sorts and caused the explosion once it hit the ground and something met it at the point of impact." Tony said, "So we think we're looking for a person or another form of being." Rachel nodded as she took in all the information.

"Was anyone who wasn't in the Pipe Band or the show crew found at the castle?" Natasha asked.

"No there wasn't but we should keep an eye out for the same person or repeating figures on the CCTV cameras in the areas that the readings were." Rachel said.

"Something tells me that this all started in Scotland back in the 1700s." Bruce said, "But it never finished like people thought it had."

"So now this thing that started is being brought back up into the present day?" Steve asked, "That's a long time to wait to finish something off."

"Maybe whoever or whatever was involved didn't know it wasn't finished until now." Clint said, "The readings started up in Romania before the explosion so maybe that's where they went when they thought it was all finished and being so far away meant they never found out that it wasn't until now."

"But how did they get word about it?" Tony asked, "I mean I highly doubt that this being is going to be Tec savvy after hiding away for hundreds of years."

"Maybe, maybe not," Natasha said, "We won't find out until we know all that facts."

"So let's get more facts." Rachel said, "Widow, Hawkeye, go and get the information you need from Rona if you haven't already. Captain, Thor, you go and do the same. I want to know what's happening and fast before anything else goes boom. Stark, can you go back to the lab and continue following that lead with Logan for us while Doctor Banner follows up the lead that Thor has given us."

"Sure thing." Tony said while the others nodded before Rachel sent them all from the room, "Well Bruce, where do you want to start?"

"I'm going to look into records from the late 17th century." Bruce said as he and Tony walked back to the lab, "Then I'll work my way forward in time from there and see what I get."

"Banner!" Thor shouted as he ran to catch up with the two heading to the lab, "May I speak to you." Bruce nodded before Tony walked off to the lab and left Thor and Bruce alone. "Heimdall asked me to pass on a message to you."

"To me?" Bruce asked confused, "Why?"

"He said that it would help your search." Thor said while shrugging his shoulders. Bruce nodded slightly causing Thor to continue, "He said that there was a group back then that have records that could help your search."

"Did he say which group?"

"No, he didn't but back then Earth was not really being watched by him. It wasn't until readings -such as the ones that the humans are picking up now- were around back then that he started watching Earth again."

"Okay, well if Heimdall finds anything that could help then ask him to pass on the message." Thor smiled widely and nodded his head, "Oh, and tell him I said thank you." Bruce then walked away to the lab as Thor shouted a happy reply.

"Hey Bruce!" Tony said once Bruce got back into the lab. Tony hadn't even lifted his head from the readings on the lab table. "Rona dropped by and asked me to tell you that she has ordered a few books and record copies for you to use and she left these for you." Tony held up a box of _Twinings Everyday Tea & Green Tea Blend_ causing Bruce to flush slightly and run his hand back though his hair in embarrassment. "You really need to stop stealing these from the conference room."


	5. Chapter 5

For the next two days Bruce's desk was covered with open books, photocopies of old records, a book he was writing everything he found important in along with his theories about how they fitted the situation, photographs from the explosion and photographs of Scotland's weather pattern over the time when SHEILD picked up on the reading that they were following.

The stone floor of the grand hall in Ailsa Craig Castle was very similar. Alba had large old books filled with the old records that she had taken out of the cases in the library and laid down on the floor open at pages, she had books of all kinds also taken from the library lying on the floor, all the pictures that Markus could get his hands on from Edinburgh Castle from all sorts of sources and she even had frame by frame printouts of the CCTV footage of the explosion. Alba also had about three empty ink bottles and a half filled one on the floor next to her along with a long white swan feather quill and hundreds of pages filled with beautiful thin and curly handwriting.

Both of them were taking notes of their findings, the both of them were drawing circles and lines on the photographs that they had and they both had taken to writing out the sections of information from the books in their notes. The both of them were being very thorough in their extensive research though Alba, herself, had an advantage though she didn't like it very much.

While Bruce removed his glasses and ran a hand back through his hair Alba was pulling her hair back from her face and into a messy bun. As Bruce stretched while staying in his chair Alba stood up and shook her legs to get some feeling back in them after kneeling down on the stone floor for hours.

"I suggest that you turn in for the night Doctor." JARVIS said to Bruce as he sat staring at the many books and photographs, "You'll be able to think more clearly after some rest." Bruce shook his head before rubbing his eyes.

"I suppose you're right." He said, "But just a few more minutes to see if something finally becomes clear." He then took another drink of tea.

Alba -on the other hand- hopped up and down on the spot trying to wake herself up as feeling returned to her legs and sleepiness started to set in.

"No Alba." She told herself, "Not now. We're getting close now. I can feel it!" Something started up in the back of her mind causing her to stand still and think about it. The thought was a feeling -one of those 'what if' feelings followed closely by worry.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Alba told herself but she could hear the concern in her voice. The pack of Tarot cards sat upstairs in her room floated to the front of her mind causing her to play with the fabric of her brown skirt. "Maybe I should..." She started to play with the collar of her high neck white blouse. "No, no, no, no, no! We are not going to use the Tarot cards because you'll just worry yourself and you still don't understand it enough for a full reading." Then the purple sphere came to mind causing her to bit her tongue.

"Maybe just a peek." She whispered to herself, "It won't hurt to know... Will it?" She looked around at the mess on the floor and she had her answer. She picked up her skirt slightly and ran from the grand hall -while not disturbing the mess on the floor- and down the narrow corridor before slowing down and walking over to the sphere. "Just a peek, nothing more." She took a deep breath and placed both of her hands on the pedestal on either side of the red pillow.

_"Amethyst, show me time, with every chime."_ She said to the sphere, _"Give me an event, in the present. Tell me of new days, all when I crystal gaze."_

The purple sphere's glow became brighter causing her to hover her hands next to it and curve them around it in the air. This action caused both the sphere and the glow to turn white while Alba's skin turned light sapphire blue, her hair grew thicker and wild as it turned black and finally her eyes became dark blue. Then images began to flash up on the surface of the sphere and she watched the images as they appeared and then disappeared.

Alba's face appeared before being replaced by the Isle -Ailsa Craig. A man with curly brown hair and chocolate brown eye replaced the Isle before his face was replaced by a place Alba knew very well; the University of Saint Andrews. Then a black masquerade mask with purple details stitched into it appeared before the sphere turned a fiery red and the last image appeared causing her to scream and remove her hands.

As she did she stumbled back and fell over and landed on her back panting. Her hair was still long, thick, wild and black, her skin still light sapphire blue and her eyes dark blue but filled with fear as she closed them tightly. She hugged herself and felt her heartbeat racing as she slowly regulated her breathing.

"Lord God," Alba whispered, "Thank you for teaching me it can hurt to peek." The last image still burned brightly in her mind; a black wooden cross on a fiery red background surrounded by fire and a pillar of black smoke rising upward toward what would have been the sky.

"After all this time you still torment me." Alba said while rubbing her eyes before opening them and seeing her skin back to normal. She sighed. "Do I really want to go to sleep tonight?"

"Bruce!" A voice said causing Bruce to almost jump awake.

"I'm awake!" He mumbled while rubbing his eyes.

"Are you sure?" The voice -which Bruce identified as Tony's- asked, "I mean you still seem half asleep to me."

"I'm fine Tony." Bruce said after hearing the concern in his friend's voice. He looked around him to see that all the lights were on in the lab. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight Doctor." JARVIS said causing Bruce to frown.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Nearly 6 hours." JARVIS said causing Bruce to worry slightly and start going on about having to finish what he was doing, "Don't worry about the narrowing down of reliable sources. I've already done that."

"Thanks JARVIS." Tony said as he looked around the mess on the desk, "Did you find anything?"

"Yes Sir." JARVIS said, "I've found that the most reliable source comes from the University of St. Andrews. It seems that St. Andrews is the top university in not only learning in Scotland but also in keeping the records of all the Witch Trials in all of Scotland."

"Why are you focusing on the Witch Trails?" Bruce asked as he rubbed his eyes again before finishing off his cold tea causing him to shudder slightly.

"Because of one of the stories in the book called _Scottish Witches_ gives an account -a prediction even- very similar to the explosion at Edinburgh Castle." JARVIS said.

"_Scottish Witches_... _Scottish Witches_..." Bruce whispered while looking for the book in the mess.

"Here." Tony said while lifting up the book and handing it to Bruce who opened it at the index page, "Which story is it JARVIS?"

"The one on page 50." JARVIS said causing Bruce to flick though the book to find the page. Once he did both he and Tony read the title of the story; _The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross_. "The story was written by a priest about three hundred years ago and was found in the University of Saint Andrews about two hundred and fifty years later."

"So this story was found recently." Tony said, "How come it wasn't found before then?

"I'm sorry Sir but I don't have all the information about it." JARVIS said, "You'll have to talk to the current Professor in Religious Studies at the university -Father John Douglas."

"Wonderful." Tony said, "I can speak to-" He stopped when he turned to look at Bruce. "Bruce, what is it?" Bruce was reading the first page of the story with a deep frown.

"I've read this before." Bruce said, "Or something very similar... JARVIS can you compare this paragraph to a book called _Witches and Wizards of the World_ for me please?"

"Of course I can." JARVIS asked, "What is the paragraph?"

_"Six tall and fully armoured guards dragged a figure out into the sun for all to see." _Bruce read, _"Her hair short and uneven, her skin unwashed and dressed in filthy rags. Now she was no more a human being and by far lower than any animal upon Earth. The six guards dragged her to an unholy black cross and bound her there for all to see as she was held up with strong black cords and the cross unwilling to fight back for her existence." _Bruce and Tony watched the computer screen as JARVIS processed the words read out to him against words from the book Bruce mentioned.

"They match completely." JARVIS said once the writing on both sides lit up green, "The two stories have different titles and are worded slightly differently but are both the same one."

"I thought so." Bruce said while picking up the book he had bought in the airport back in the US.

"Bruce, one question." Tony said causing Bruce to look at him, "What made you buy that book?"

"I was wondering the same thing Tony." Bruce said, "Because I really don't know what made me pick it up."

**_~Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye, Scottish Isles, 2014~_**

A large black figure on four thin a sharp looking legs with a large curved back covered in evenly spaced bumps slowly made its way up the rocky hillside towards the stone known as the Old Man of Storr in the dark. The wind couldn't cover its ragged breathing as it climbed or the sound of rocks being crushed by powerful claws.

When it reached a flat and covered part some way up the rocky hill side it stopped and dropped something small that made a light thud on the floor. The figure gave a demonic chuckle before nudging the small thing on the ground with a large curved claw.

"Your kind is pitiful." Its demonic voice said, "Still the prey of humans and larger mammals. I would have only eaten you if you had been cooked and were served in a wealthy man's household but that was long ago and I need the extra energy." The figure darted its head towards the thing on the ground causing a long thick curtain of dark hair to cover its face and the thing on the floor before the figure ripped a piece off of it. "The food of humans will have to do until I find her. Until I find that damned witch! But before then, I'll need something bigger than a rabbit to feast upon."

"Ha-ha! No, Scott! Stop!" The sound of a woman's voice came from much further up the hillside. She was laughing causing a lot of noise. This caused the figure to smile a smile filled with white sharp teeth -like those of a shark's- dripping with blood from the rabbit.

"Feeding time." The demonic voice said before disappearing up the hillside.

The laughing change to screaming before falling completely silent except for the sound of the wind blowing by.


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce sat in the back of a SHIELD car with Tony as they made their way up to Saint Andrews. It had taken them little over an hour and 20 minutes but it had taken less than two minutes for Bruce to fall asleep sat in the black leather covered back seats while it had taken Tony about four minutes to get _Scottish Witches_ from Bruce since entering the car.

He frowned as he read the ending of the story where the prediction about the event that they were investigating was.

_In some time to come there will be an event of disaster where they will meet again; the witch and the devil that put her upon his cross. They will return and in a flash of light and heat causing an explosion of such power it will send angels and the Brotherhood running, humankind into panic and creatures of the dark into divide._

"What are you doing Tony?" Came Bruce's yawn causing Tony to look at him.

"Reading." Tony said copying Bruce's vagueness from the jet a few days ago. Bruce chuckled before snatching the book from Tony. "Hey! I was reading that!"

"Well you can read it later." Bruce said just as the car stopped, "We're here."

"Don't think me rude." A very tall and skinny man with a head of greying black hair, dark green eyes, long pointed nose and thin lips dressed in a black shirt, a clerical collar, black dress pants and black leather shoes said, "But what exactly are you a Doctor of Doctor Banner." He said Bruce's title and surname with disgust -or was it an incredibly high amount of distrust, Bruce couldn't really tell the difference- causing Tony to mutter a crude remark while Bruce tried to shrug it off.

"I'm a Physicist, specialising in Gamma Radiation." Bruce said though he felt like he should be shouting it up to the tall man, "It would be wonderful if you could help us with our research Father Douglas." Father Douglas pursed his lips before finally nodding.

"I guess I can give you some help." He said sounding almost bored and annoyed before turning and walking away down the corridor.

"Thank you, Father." Bruce said.

"Yes, yes." Father Douglas said while arrogantly waving his hand to wave off Bruce's politeness.

"Snape, Snape, Severus Snape!" Tony sung under his breath loud enough for Bruce to hear causing Bruce to smile slightly, "Dumbledore!" He said this just as an elderly man with a long white beard and hair with round golden coloured glasses walked past them on their way to Father Douglas' office.

"You can never tell where J. K. Rowling wrote her books." Tony said to Bruce.

"About an hour and twenty minutes back down south in Edinburgh." Bruce whispered back.

"Ouch Bruce!" Tony said, "You wound me!" Bruce rolled his eyes before paying attention to Father Douglas who was talking away to the two behind him without looking at them.

"-And if I recall correctly from that e-mail sent to me saying you were coming up today to speak to me," He said -clearly annoyed with the fact that Rona e-mailed him- while stopping at a door and pulling out a set of keys, "You wanted to talk about the story _The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross _which was found here about two hundred and fifty years ago. Why you want to talk about that I have no idea." The door unlocked with a clunk before swinging open.

"Well it has a prediction at the end that has some interesting traits to it." Bruce said while he, Tony and Father Douglas entered the office.

"Like what?" Father Douglas said while walking over to then around his desk before sitting down behind it.

"The fact that it mentions that," Tony said while throwing himself down into one of the chairs in front of Father Douglas's desk, "I quote;_ 'In a flash of light and heat causing an explosion of such power it will send angels and the Brotherhood running, humankind into panic and creatures of the dark into divide'_ and I'm guessing you've heard about the explosion at Edinburgh Castle about a week about."

"Yes, I did." Father Douglas said with a stony face, "I also heard about what happened to the men and women of the Royal Scots Pipe Band. So did many of the students hence why the fundraiser in two days' time."

"Well you see," Tony said, "We're investigating what happened at the castle and we know what happened that day from a CCTV video that was recovered."

"And what exactly happened?" Father Douglas asked bored.

"Exactly what had been predicted in that story." Bruce said while scanning over the books in Father Douglas' many glass door book cases that lined the white walls and on the green tartan floor of his office. Father Douglas sat up slightly taller in his seat.

"Is that so?" He asked almost sounding sceptical of Bruce and Tony's idea. No -their theory. Yet something in Father Douglas' voice caught Bruce's attention. "And what evidence do you have to support this idea?"

"The massive hole in the ground at Edinburgh Castle and the video footage." Tony said, "The footage was put though a filtering program to get a clearer image and it turned up something rather odd."

"And what would that be?" Father Douglas said. He was now pushing for answers making Bruce suspicious of him.

"Tell us about the story and we'll tell you what we found." Tony said after a moment of basking in the glory of having an upper hand with a smirk. Bruce watched as Father Douglas shifted slightly in discomfort before finally getting up out of his chair.

"Excuse me!" He snapped while almost storming towards Bruce who had no other option to move otherwise he would have been run over. He sat down next to Tony who gave a very gleeful smirk as Father Douglas opened up one of the glass book cases.

"What you are looking for is held in the very old record vaults." He said while scanning the books in front of him, "The piece was newly discovered here at St. Mary's -which is under the blanket of the University of St. Andrews- and was given to this subject as a possible use of study. Not once have I read about it being used though. Ah! Here it is." He reached inside the bookcase and pulled out an old light blue book before flicking through the pages carefully.

"Why hasn't it been used as a study in class?" Bruce asked.

"I think many of my predecessors were ashamed of the Witch Trials as many innocent women were put to death back then." Father Douglas said before stopping at a page about two-thirds through the book, "Here you go." He gave the book to Bruce who looked over the writing before pulling out his glasses and started reading. "You'll find what you need in there. Place it was found, when it was discovered and who wrote it."

"So you don't have the real piece here?" Bruce asked as Father Douglas sat back down in his chair.

"Of course not." He replied with the tone one would use to talk to a small child, "A team from The National Trust for Scotland took it after it was found and the Church of Scotland gave them permission to do so. All we have here is a book that records it being found. I would think the Church would know where it is."

"Do you have an exact copy of what it says?" Bruce asked. He sensed the brick walls that Father Douglas was throwing up in order to either protect himself or stop Bruce and Tony digging further or both reasons. He couldn't really tell which one it was.

"Yes." Father Douglas said almost reluctantly, "But I can't get you one, at least not yet."

"Why?" Tony asked.

"My assistant, Markus, is currently off sick and I don't know his password or anything about computers." Father Markus said causing Tony and Bruce to look at each other. Bruce knew exactly what Tony was thinking and shook his head before turning back to Father Douglas who was watching the two carefully.

"You said there was a fundraiser." Bruce said.

"Yes, I did." Father Douglas said, "Why?"

"Well, how about we meet back up then and see if Markus is better." Bruce said, "And if he is then we can get a copy of the piece." Father Douglas sighed in exasperation.

"Fine," He snapped, "It's this Friday and it's a masquerade ball. Now please tell me what happened at Edinburgh." Bruce and Tony stood up before Tony threw a picture of one of the frames from the video showing the unexplained thing in the lighting.

"That happened." Tony said before turning and heading for the door while Bruce frowned, "Bruce, are you coming?" Bruce held up a hand to tell Tony he'd be with him in a moment causing Father Douglas to look at him.

"Who are the Brotherhood?" Bruce asked. This caused a flicker of fear to pass through Father Douglas' eyes before pride filled his features.

"They were an order of God and the Church." He said, "Sworn to protect the human race from the creatures of the dark and the Devil." He then stood up from his chair and towered over Bruce -even from behind his desk. "They were thought to be among the ranks of the angels back in the dark days and their very presence was known all over the United Kingdom. Even Kings fell to their knees in the presence of the Brotherhood." Bruce looked at the book _Scottish Witches_ before giving Father Douglas a very small and sad smile.

"You failed." He said while holding up the book. This caused Father Douglas' face to fall and Tony's jaw to drop as Bruce dropped the book onto Father Douglas' desk. "Can we also get all your records on the Brotherhood along with the story."

And without waiting for an answer he turned and left the office.

"I need some air." He whispered though gritted teeth to Tony as he walked past him.

"Go ahead." Tony said in disbelief at the sight that he had just witnessed.

"How long had you been biting your tongue in there?" Tony asked as he walked up to Bruce after a few students -female students- had asked to get pictures with him -which he had gladly consented to.

"Since meeting him." Bruce said, "He may be a Father of the Church but there was no need to be so-"

"Arrogant?" Tony asked when Bruce couldn't finish his sentence, "Are you sure it's not anything else that's on your mind?" Bruce looked at Tony confused causing Tony to sigh and hold out _Scottish Witches_ to him.

"I think there's something you're not telling me." He said while looking out onto cobbled courtyard once Bruce had taken the book off of him. Bruce watched him carefully with a confused frown. "Worst part, you haven't even admitted it to yourself." He then walked away from Bruce.

"Tony!" Bruce called to the billionaire causing him to smirk and turn around to face Bruce.

"Finally got the m-"

"The car's the other way." Bruce cut Tony off causing the billionaire to blink in confusion before looking around him.

"So it is..." He then headed past Bruce to the car but not before shouting, "This is not going away that easily!"

Bruce frowned again before looking over the courtyard as students flooded it. He watched them fascinated as they crossed the courtyard and how small circles of area were avoided by every pupil and teacher.


	7. Chapter 7

"Don't!" A voice called out to Clint as he walked across the courtyard of Stirling Castle causing him to stop mid step -foot in mid-air- before a young girl with frizzy brown hair and green eyes ran over to him. She was dressed in a pair of black tights, black shoes, grey skirt, white shirt, blue jumper and a blue tie. "You were about to step on the spot!"

"What?" Clint asked while Natasha frowned.

"Look!" The girl squeaked while pointing at the ground under Clint's foot which was still in mid-air. Natasha nudged him with her elbow causing him to move his foot and put it down next to his other one. Both he and Natasha looked down at the floor and there in little light sapphire blue coloured pieces of mosaic was the name _Una_.

"No-one walks over this spot!" The girl said.

"Why?" Natasha asked kindly.

"It's where the witch was burned." The girl said, "But people say that when she was finished burning all that stood in this spot was a large black wooden cross."

Another night, another round of nightmares, screaming and running before another pray at the altar. Alba never had a single peaceful night sleep. She had sat at the base of the alter, in shadows of the chapel as she remembered the worst part of her nightmare -waking up after the feeling of burning finished- and after all this time she still couldn't live with the memories.

"Even after three hundred and fourteen years why do you still torment me?" She screamed at the darkness up on the connecting balcony. If she had anything at hand she would have thrown it at the item hidden in the shadows up above but she didn't and so she couldn't. So instead she cried until she fell asleep on the stone floor.

Now Alba awoke slowly with a contented sigh. Her eyelids had a gentle blue light shining against them. Opening her eyes she found herself lying on the stone floor of the chapel near the alter covered with a think tartan blanket with the translucent blues, pinks, reds, greens, and yellows from the stain glass windows shinning down on top of her. Her eyes widened with surprise as she sat up causing the thick tartan blanket to fall off of her slightly.

"Well that's a first!" She said while looking at her hand in confusion, "Not blue. That's another first!" She looked up at the doors to the chapel to find one open slightly allowing her to hear music being played from downstairs. "_Gimme Gimme Gimme_ by _ABBA_?" She frowned as she thought about the song and how it could be playing. Only one thought came to mind that made her nearly jump to her feet and run to the chapel doors.

"There's only one person that would play that song!" She said as she ran down the stairs then the steps before running to the balcony overlooking the grand hall. She placed her hands on the railings as ABBA sung away from the gramophone upon which stood a pure white A5 envelope. This caused Alba to smile before she ran from the balcony to the spiral staircase and then down it before walking over to the gramophone as ABBA sung their chorus.

_'Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight,_

_Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away?_

_Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight,_

_Take me through the darkness to the break of the day.'_

Alba sighed and shook her head as she reached for the envelope. On the front it had 'To Alba Wallace' in thin curly jade green handwriting. She turned it over and opened it before pulling out a black piece of card. She flipped it over and read the sliver writing on it.

_'Miss Wallace,_

_You have been formally invited to the University of Saint Andrews' Masquerade Charity Ball on Friday the 15th of August. All money raised will be going to the charity; __**Help for Heroes**__._

_Please send your RSVP to Professor Ken Morrison by Wednesday the 13th of August._

_Please find address on reverse side.'_

"That's today!" Alba said shocked as she remembered the date. She looked back into the envelope -as she knew who it was from- in hope of there being a note. Thankfully there was and it was written in the same jade green handwriting as the writing on the envelope.

_'Alba,_

_Don't panic about the RSVP. I've sorted it out already for you._

_Don't worry about Father 'You must be locked away' or my brother. I've got that sorted but we really need to talk._

_See you on Friday, __**R**__.'_

"Oh, you're going to get us both into trouble." Alba said while shaking her head but she couldn't help the smile breaking out on her face. She put both the invite and the note back into the envelope and ran back upstairs and back to her room. "I need to make a dress for the occasion!" She ran over to her faded light blue and silver vanity in her room before sitting down at it and rubbing her hands together.

"_Pàipear_." Alba said once her skin turned blue, her hair became wild, thick and black and her dark blue eyes seen a white glow came from in between her hands as she rubbed them together. She smiled before separating her hands causing the white glow to fall onto the surface of the vanity and there lay a sheet of pure white paper causing her to giggle to herself. She put the pads of her forefingers to the pads of her thumbs before putting them together.

"_Peansail_." She then pulled them apart in a straight line and a white line appeared in between her fingers. Then when she had her hands about seven inches apart the white line turned into a sharpened pencil and spun around so it was vertical in mid-air and she took a hold of it with her right hand. Now with the piece of paper and pencil she began to draw the design of the dress she was going to make along with the masquerade mask for the ball.

"Oh how Cinderella would be green with jealousy!" She smiled to herself as she be gain to draw.

Before either Alba or Bruce knew it Friday had come. Bruce spent the morning with Tony as Tony decided on which car -an Audi none the less- he would like to rent for the fundraiser ball while Alba cooked up a potion in return for the invitation to the ball from the thin and curly jade green writing '**_R_**'.

In both the Audi and castle the air was filled with Frank Sinatra singing '_Singing in the Rain_' and by the time midday came along Bruce was humming along while Alba sung. As the car glided along the roads and eased around the bends Alba was striding and twirling like a ballet dancer around the grand hall causing her white night dress to flow elegantly around her legs.

The ball was to begin at seven o'clock so by half past five Alba had begun on your brown hair. She had washed it earlier that morning and now it hung around her face and over her shoulders in beautiful elegant brown waves as she sat at her vanity. She put a small bit of natural hair oil -about the size of a pea- onto her left hand before rubbing her hands together and then running her fingers through her hair causing the little bits of fly away hair to disappear. She then applied a small amount of make-up to her eyes and lips -she wanted to keep it natural looking with smoky eyelids and clear lip gloss- before pulling some bits at the front of her hair to the back and clipping them there while the rest of her hair stayed free.

Bruce on the other hand had started a half an hour later than Alba had and was now stood in front of a mirror looking at himself dressed in a black suit, white shirt, a dark purple tie and a pair of smart black dress shoes. In his right hand was a plain dark purple mask that matched his tie. He didn't really understand why they all had to wear masquerade masks but it was the student's choice for a fundraiser event -or so he was told anyway.

"Bruce!" Tony called through the door of the hotel room door, "You ready?" Bruce looked at the door and debated about opening it or not but this had been his idea and they really needed the information.

"Yeah." He said as he unlocked the room door and opened it to see Tony leaning against the door frame dressed in a black suit, red shirt with the top two buttons undone and black dress shoes, "Where's your mask?" Tony then pulled out a pair of Aviators and put them on.

"Happy?" He asked as Bruce looked at him shocked.

"What if they won't let you in without a mask on?" Bruce asked and Tony smirked.

"It's all sorted." He said before pushing off of the door frame as he looked at his watch, "Time to go!"

"It's seven already?" Bruce asked while closing his room door behind him and followed Tony down the hall.

Alba on the other hand was smoothing out the fabric of her dress over her hips. Her fingertips brushed against the purple stitching as she smoothed out the satin fabric again just to make sure before her blue eyes looked up into the full length mirror.

She didn't even recognise herself in such a beautiful dress of the present time wearing black high heels sent to her by '**_R_**'. She had never even seen her self done up so beautifully before. She thought she would look like a modern day doll but she looked more like the ladies that would hang happily on the arm of a Lord, Duke or even a King. Yet she had more sense and self-assurance than they did and she held that now in her reflection.

Alba heard the hands on the fading light blue and silver grandfather clock in her room move and glanced at it in the mirror as it began to chime away its song.

"Seven o'clock." She said to herself and turned to a coat hanger and picked up a thick purple shawl before leaving her room.

The ball -even though it was just beginning- was in full swing. Students mixed with teachers and guests as a group of musicians played in the background, Tony had been pulled aside by a group of female students who recognised him all wanting to talk to him, Bruce stood awkwardly not too far away from Tony and the group and Alba had just entered the hall and was looking around it in amazement.

The décor was in the colours of the charity _Help for Heroes_ -dark blue, red and light blue. The tables were light blue with comfortable looking dark blue chairs and pure white plates bearing the University of Saint Andrews emblem upon them and silverware sat on the tables on top of red napkins. This was exactly what Alba expected of a high profiled fundraiser -though the last one she had been to was many years ago. The thought made her giggle to herrself.

Bruce turned around at the sound of Alba's giggle and seen her looking around with a large smile which he was sure would have reached her eyes only her black mask with purple swirls hid them from him at the angle and the distance he was stood at. Though he could see her long black cocktail dress with one purple shoulder strap over her left shoulder which curled under her arm and connected to the strap on the other side, she had a similar pattern of purple stitching in the shape of three circles going down her right side with the top one starting from under her arm and ending with one just above her right hip. He seen her long wavy brown hair flowing elegantly down to just above the middle of her back and her purple shawl around her.

Alba on the other hand felt someone watching her and turned around to look for them only to see who invited her sat at a table with their back to her not too far away. She walked over to them smiling as they played with a lock of red hair before she placed her hands on their slim snow white shoulders.

"You do realise how much trouble we'll both be in if Father Douglas finds out about this meeting." Alba said, "Don't you Rona?" She turned to look at her.

"Can't you have a bit of fun, Alba?" Rona MacDonald said while standing up causing Alba to remove her hands from her shoulders. Alba smiled as she looked her up and down.

"You've grown up." She said, "And had a bit of money thrown your way." She pointed to the strapless white dress and mask Rona was wearing.

"You haven't changed a bit, Madam." Rona said emphasising Alba's title while brushing her fingers over a pendant that looked like a clockwork dragonfly with a jade attached to its tail. Alba grimaced at her title but smiled at Rona as she said, "Have a seat! We must speak!"

"What about?" She asked as she moved her dress slightly to allow her to sit in the seat next to Rona.

"I guess you've heard about Edinburgh." Rona said suddenly talking all business. Alba nodded but Rona didn't continue.

"What about it Rona?" She said after a second of silence too long.

"You don't have any theory about it?" She asked shocked, "You don't have a theory about what happened?"

"Not that I'm sharing." Alba sighed annoyed. Of course Rona would want to know what Alba thought about it after all she was the only person that she knew to be a witch. "Why do you want to know Rona?"

"My brother asked me for all the files I could get on it." She said, "He was rather clear on mentioning that you wanted to look into this as well which got me thinking."

"That brother of yours!" Alba said irritated, "He knows that you have a job to do and that you want to keep it." She sat back in her seat as she thought about the trouble that Rona could have been in from Markus getting her the information that she needed from the rest of the world away from Ailsa Craig. "Does anyone know about you copying the files or about Markus, the Brotherhood or worse, you?"

"Calm down." Rona said soothingly while taking one of Alba's hands in hers, "No-one knows about the files or me." Alba watched Rona's body language change. "But they are looking into the Brotherhood and have spoken to Father Douglas." Alba let go of the breath she had held while trying to gather herself after taking in what Rona had said. She looked about her quickly and didn't see anything odd before looking back at Rona's worried eyes behind her white mask causing her to put her free hand over Rona's and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine." She said, "I'm just worried about this. All of this."

"Why?"

"Because I have an idea of what happened but I don't know for sure if I'm right. Plus, if I am correct then we're all in trouble. Deep trouble."


	8. Chapter 8

"Ah! Well if it isn't Doctor Banner?" Father Douglas said -his words dripping with venom- from under a black mask with a long curved nose that could rival his own pointed nose and dressed in a black suit, shirt and a clerical collar. He had a short and skinny young man with copper coloured hair that almost reached his shoulders, grey eyes hidden behind a silver grey mask and snow white skin dressed in a grey suit and white shirt. "Markus, this is Doctor Banner. Doctor Banner, this is my assistant Markus."

"Hi!" Markus said with a boyish smile and held out his right hand to Bruce who took it and gave it a small shake while nodding to Markus, "I heard from Father Douglas that you wanted a copy of the original story of The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross and any records on the Brotherhood."

"Yes, that's right." Bruce said.

"May I ask why?" Markus asked.

"What has Father Douglas told you?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing." Markus admitted.

"Well you see I have an extreme interest in the story." Bruce said, "I bought a book back in the US called Witches and Wizards of the World and I found The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross while reading it though the story wasn't called that."

"Really?" Markus asked, "Well I'll get the printouts that you've asked for and I should be able to give them to you by the end of the auction." He smiled at Bruce as he said his thanks. "You know I would really love to read that book that you have. I'm doing a study on the Witch Trials and it would be a great help to hear of other stories about Witches from around the world."

"I'll send you a copy." Bruce said with a small kind smile before both he and Markus dived into conversation about the stories they've read and what they had personally thought about each story causing Father Douglas to roll his eyes and walk away.

*

"So you're worried about what came out of the light stream." Rona said after a while of talking to Alba about what she had found and what Rona knew about Bruce's finding -though she didn't tell Alba who had done the finding.

"Yes." Alba said before taking a sip of the white wine in her hand and grimacing at the after taste.

"So what do you think came out?" Rona asked.

"Something very bad." Alba said, "Something evil if I am right and I'm hoping that I'm not." Rona looked at her with questioning eyes as Alba closed hers and took a deep breath. Rona wanted to question Alba on it further but she knew that if Alba hadn't explained it already then she wasn't going to explain it at all. Nothing unless she knew she was correct and had to warn someone.

"Your silence makes me worry." She said after a moment of silence between the two of them causing Alba to look at her.

"Really?" She asked stunned before seeing Rona nod while looking down at her lap. Alba sighed and reached over to Rona's hand placed on the table before giving it a comforting squeeze causing Rona to look up at her. "Don't worry. You're too young to worry and if you continue to worry so much you'll have a heart attack or worse before you're even thirty." This caused Rona to laugh.

"So this is your type!" A male voice said from in front of the two from the other side of the table causing the both of them to look up at the man, "Care to introduce me?" Alba felt Rona tense beside her before she stood up and gave a fake smile.

"Not at all Mr Stark." Rona said.

"Tony, please." Tony said while flashing Alba a wide and charming smile to which Alba smiled back politely, "And who is this enchanting friend of yours?" He held out his hand to her as he continued to give her his charming smile.

"Interesting choice of words Mr Stark." Alba said while standing up and ignoring his outstretched hand, "I'm Alba, Rona's cousin."

"Really?" Tony said happily, "Well that's good because I wasn't really looking to steal anyone's date tonight." Alba looked at Rona confused as she looked rather shocked. "Oh! Sorry."

"No, it's fine." Alba said quickly, "Just not so loud." Tony nodded while she turned to Rona -thoroughly confused.

"I'll explain later." She mouthed to Alba before she turned back to Tony.

"So, are either of you lovely ladies here with anyone?" Tony asked while moving around the table to stand next to Alba.

"We're here to help support my brother and his charity group in the fundraiser." Rona said before asking, "And may I ask what you are doing here?"

"Don't you remember?" Tony asked as he put his arm around Alba's shoulders causing her to look up at him. Had she not been wearing a mask then disbelief at his over-confidence would be painted all over her face. "You had booked the hotel for Bruce and me for tonight so we could attend this wonderful fundraiser." Rona thought for a moment before realisation spread across her face from under her mask.

"And where is Doctor Banner?" Rona asked but Tony shrugged.

"Most likely talking to one of the professors or one of the students about some subject." Tony said, "But he'll most likely be enjoying himself none the less. But what about you two? Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"The fundraiser hasn't even begun yet." Alba said, "It's all just meet and greet right now which reminds me, I need to go and speak to Markus before anything important happens. If you'll excuse me." She took a hold of Tony's index finger between her thumb and index finger before lifting it up and removing his arm from around her. "It was nice to meet you Mr Stark." She held out her hand to him which he took gratefully.

"It was nice to meet you Alba." He smirked before frowning slightly as she tightened her grip on his hand ever so slightly.

"Pass my best wishes to Miss Potts." She said before letting go and walking away from him and Rona, "Until next time Mr Stark!" Tony watched her leave surprised before turning to Rona when Alba disappeared out of sight.

"She's a bit old fashioned," Rona said, "And a wee bit odd." She gave him a small smile before disappearing after Alba when a group of students crowded around Tony.

"Alba!" She called as she darted though the crowd of people "Alba!" A hand grasped her wrist causing her to stop.

"Please tell me you're not looking for Madam Chaos." Markus' voice whispered to her as his hand move up from her wrist to her elbow. Rona shook her head before Markus sighed and they started to walk together -not like Rona had much of a choice though.

"Why did you invite her?" Markus asked.

"None of your business!" Rona hissed.

"If it's your business in _that_ topic then it's also mine." Markus said, "Plus if Father Douglas finds out that-"

"That I'm here he'll throw such a temper tantrum that he's burst a vein." Alba said while slipping her arm around Markus' free arm, "Hello Markus."

"Madam." He said lowly so only she and Rona could hear him.

"Why did the two of you fail to say that Rona works with SHEILD?" Alba asked causing Markus to look at her shocked while Rona tensed, "Did you both think I would get angry or worried?"

"Madam I can explain-" Rona said but fell silent as Alba waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it." She said, "I've known since you started to work there. Though I am rather hurt that neither of you told me."

"You've been waiting to get us together for this, haven't you?" Markus asked and Alba nodded before smiling and stopping at a large sign causing Markus and Rona to stop as well.

"Where are we sat?" She asked while scanning the sign for their names.

"I'm on Table 1." Markus said, "Along with Father Douglas."

"And so are we." Alba said while looking at Table 1 on the board and found both her name and Rona's, "This should be fun."

"Even more so when we're with Stark and Doctor Banner." Rona said while pointing at the Table list.

"We're doomed." The three of them said together just before there was a ringing sound of a bell.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The Master of the ball said, "Dinner is served so if you would all take your seats." The three of you looked at each other before heading off to Table 1.

"Ah Markus!" Father Douglas said happily from his seat at Table 1, "There you are! I've been looking all over-" his face -from what Alba could see of it- fell at the sight of her and Rona as they walked up to the table. "Miss MacDonald, Miss Wallace, how wonderful to see the both of you again." His words were dipping with sarcasm.

"Father Douglas." Rona said with a smile before taking her seat at the table only for Tony to sit down next to her. She grimaced as Alba patted her shoulder and peered at the name card on her other side. It was Markus'.

"John." Alba said curtly as she passed him in search of her seat which wasn't next to Markus -that was Father Douglas' seat- and it wasn't next to Father Douglas either causing her to frown slightly before walking around to the seat next to Tony. She looked at the name card.

_'Doctor Bruce Banner'_ It read.

"Oh sorry." A new voice said as someone appeared in the corner of her eye, "I think that might be my seat." She turned to look at the person next to her and froze at the sight of them. Curly brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and if he wasn't wearing a dark purple mask she were sure it was the man from the image shown to her by the Amethyst sphere.

"I think you have her star struck Bruce." Tony commented causing Alba to flush slightly and look away from Bruce.

"I'm sorry." Bruce stuttered slightly as he found himself very shy in front of the group gathering at the table.

"It's fine." Alba said lightly before looking at the card at the seat next to Bruce's, "I've walked past my seat anyway." She gave a small smile to him as she looked back up at him.

"Really?" He asked before looking at the seat he was stood at as she indicated to it, "Wonderful! Let me help you." He smiled and looked back at her before stepping to the side and pulling her chair out to be polite.

"Thank you." Alba smiled as she gently sat down into the chair as Bruce eased it forward. He turned rather shy as he then took his seat and Tony gave him a wink.

"Hello everyone!" A very cheerful voice said as a plump man with golden hair came up to the table dressed in royal red suit and yellow shirt. Father Douglas rolled his eyes at him, Rona giggled, Markus looked blankly at him while Alba, Bruce and Tony looked at him highly confused.

"Hurry up and sit down Ken." Father Douglas snapped causing Alba to look over at him. She could see disgust pouring out of him towards this man.

"Now, now John!" Professor Morrison said happily, "I know you don't enjoy socialising with the rest of the human race and all that but it wouldn't hurt you to have some fun!" Alba and Rona caught each other's eye and giggled. "And who are these two wonderful ladies?"

"My sister Rona and my cousin Alba." Markus said causing Alba to smile at how both his and Rona's stories matched up. Morrison chuckled as he wobbled over to the vacant seat next to Alba before sitting down.

"Wonderful!" He said, "Wonderful! I hope you're all ready to donate tonight. We've got to raise a fair bit of money for those troops of ours." His happiness was contagious and Alba found herself smiling away as he spoke.

The conversation twisted to the items up for auction that night at the party and the odd one or two caught Alba's interest especially the records. She had her say on the matter of records as she had so many and listened to them all the time which caused Morrison to dive into conversation about the musical arts. Markus was helping in the conversation along with Bruce, Tony and Rona while Father Douglas and Miss Morrison sat quietly and patiently for the first course to arrive.

"Alba can play the piano." Markus said just as four waiters came up to the table and started handing out the starters; a small cocktail glass with prawns inside it.

"Really?" Miss Morrison asked with an incredibly light voice, "So how long have you been playing the piano, Alba?" This caused Rona and Markus to tense having not sensed the question to follow.

"Oh! Since I was about five or six." She lied, "I can never remember which because it feels like hundreds of years ago since that day." Which it really was in a way.

"No need to jest me, my dear." Miss Morrison said with a laugh causing a Glasgow accent to come through, "I understand the feeling perfectly but you look so young! It can't possibly feel like that for you surely." Alba gave a light but small laugh.

"Everyone feels things differently." She said, "It is what makes us human and individuals." She turned to a waiter who had come over and asked if she wanted any more wine but she asked for water instead before hearing Bruce ask for the same thing beside her.

Once the starter was over the waiters took the glasses away and brought the main course -chicken with rosemary and moose stuffing, roast potatoes, cooked vegetables and the option of gravy- the conversation that Morrison was having swung to the progress of the students at the University making Alba feel unwelcome in sharing her ideas so she turned to Bruce to find him sat silently eating his food.

"So, you're a Doctor?" She asked just trying to make conversation. This caused Bruce to glance up at her. "Must be exciting."

"I've not done much medical work." He said, "I'm a Doctor in Physics."

"Oh!" She said while thinking back and trying to remember what Physicists were called back in her day.

_'Fools, idiots, possible warlocks, magicians, lunatics.'_ In all sense, this was Alba's era in a nutshell. Everything unexplainable and against God was dark magic.

"And what do you do, Miss Wallace?" Bruce asked while pulling Alba out of her thoughts.

"Alba, please." She said politely, "And I'm currently a student."

"Really? Of what subject?" Bruce asked.

_'Witchcraft, the dark and the light.'_ She thought, _'Though you'll only think of the dark.'_

"Literature." She said, "Of all types."

"So you plan to be a writer?" He asked but she smiled and shook her head.

"I do it for fun and because it's interesting." She said upon seeing the confusion in Bruce's eyes. He smiled and looked down at his hands. "I also help people in need."

"You're a volunteer?" Bruce asked after looking back up at her. She then nodded. It was true that Alba helped those in need whenever she could and she never asked for -or wanted- anything in return. That was all back in the old times for her -the price.

The main meal finished and dessert was placed in front of them all; a round piece of triple chocolate cake. Alba smile at the heart shaped chocolate and the swirls of chocolate shavings on the top of a white chocolate layer which lay upon a normal chocolate layer before finally tucking into it.

The conversation that had been going on between Professor Morrison and Father Douglas had now caught everyone at the table's attention. Alba listened to Professor Morrison going on about the Internet and subject resources and Father Douglas' attempt to shoot the suggestion down in flames.

"If I did that then there would be no need for me in the classroom." Father Douglas argued, "You'd also have the pupils in confusion about what to do and won't be able to pass their exams along with people from faceless government organisations having free access to things that they can't understand."

"Hey!" Tony snapped, "We're right here you know and we're not from a faceless organisation!"

"Then what are you from?" Father Douglas demanded.

"Stark Enterprise!" Tony said, "It was one of our security systems that got taken out in that blast!" Alba heard the lies but then she hear the word 'blast' and she was suddenly very interested.

"The one at Edinburgh Castle?" She asked and Rona looked at her horrified that she would be pushing for information.

"The very same." Tony said as Bruce sat back in his seat and looked at his hands to allow Alba and Tony to talk.

"So do you know what caused it?" She asked trying to sound innocent.

"No, not yet." Tony said.

"Because you're on a witch hunt trying to get that story." Father Douglas said causing Rona to flash him a glare and Markus to move uncomfortably.

"What story?" Alba almost demanded but Father Douglas took no notice of her question as he fought with Tony, "John!" He and the rest of the table looked at Alba stunned because of her raised voice.

"What story?" Shed asked both politely and quietly.

"_The Witch Upon the Devil's cross_." Markus said. Alba's fork slipped from her fingers and landed on the floor with a clatter.

"Excuse me." She said quietly but got up without waiting for an answer. Professor Morrison, Father Douglas, Markus, Tony and Bruce all stood up for her and remained standing as Rona also excused herself but stopped next to Father Douglas.

"Maybe it's you who needs to give up the witch hunt." She whispered to him so only he could hear before disappearing after Alba. The rest of the table looked at Father Douglas and Markus confused but neither of them had an explanation.

*

Alba stood outside and took a few steading breaths as she held onto the stone fence. She had removed her mask and closed her eyes as the cool air washed over her. She opened her eyes again when she heard someone walking towards her but she didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"I'll be back through in a moment Rona." She said before taking another deep breath of the cool air causing her eyes to lighten back to their normal blue.

"Are you sure?" Rona asked her causing her to nod.

"Just give me a minute and I'll be right back in." She said. Rona nodded but watched Alba worriedly for a moment before leaving her alone. She wasn't gone that long when Alba heard a pair of footsteps walking towards her from behind.

"Rona," She said while turning around, "I swear I'm-" She stopped when she seen Bruce stood there in the doorway looking at her with his dark purple mask in his hand.

"Fine..." She whispered as she looked over his face and seen that it was indeed the one shown to her by the Amethyst sphere.

"I'm sorry." Bruce said, "I could see if there is anywhere else to get some air if you want to be alone." Alba shook her head.

"It's alright." She said while turning away from him slightly -making sure to keep him where she could see him. He nodded before slowly stepping out of the doorway as the Master of the Ball started taking into the microphone back inside. He moved uneasily as he stood not too far from her while taking deep breaths.

"I guess John is still fighting with people." She said suddenly causing Bruce to turn to look at her. He nodded.

"I guess you've known him for a long time." He said causing her to smile and nod, "How long?"

"Too long." She said while looking up at the sky, "And before you ask; yes he has always been that arrogant and pompous." This caused Bruce to chuckle before turning away from her to look out onto the garden of the hall the two had both just came out of.

"Is there any reason for it?" He asked her.

"Not one that you'd agree with to be a good reason." She said, "Nor is there a cure for it."

"Too bad." Bruce said causing her to laugh and Bruce to smile.

She sighed while looking down at her hand on the stone fence causing Bruce to turn his head to look at her. The angle he was stood looking at her allowed him to see her fully. Her wavy brown had fallen over her milky white right shoulder obscuring her face but not enough to hide her blue eyes from him. Without the mask on he could really see how beautiful she was causing his cheeks to heat slightly.

"Under everything human lies something so beautiful." A whisper in the wind but she heard it causing her to look up and about her. It was still only her and Bruce outside and the auction was really getting underway -at least four items had been sold in the time she and Bruce had been outside.

"Getting a bit cold isn't it?" Bruce asked causing Alba to look at him and forget about the hairs on the back of her neck that were stood up.

"Huh?" She said confused before realising what he had said, "Is it? I can't tell." This caused Bruce to smile before stepping back.

"I'm going to go back inside now before Tony starts getting ideas." He said while backing away to the door. She turned around to look at him with a small smile.

"He'll always have ideas that one." She said causing Bruce to chuckle again and causing her to smile more. There was something about his chuckle that made her want to hear it again.

"Yeah... That's Tony for you." He looked up at her while putting his hand back though his curly brown hair, "I'll see you at the table, Alba?"

"In a wee bit." She said before he nodded and walked back inside. His disappearance caused something inside of Alba to start screaming at her. She felt as though someone was watching her closely. It felt as though they were stood quite close to her, their presence pressing against her and causing her to feel extremely uncomfortable and her space to feel invaded. A stir of the leaves of the trees and bushes in the garden caused her to hug herself in an attempt to calm and reassure herself.

"Let's not let our imagination run wild." She whispered to herself before heading back inside. She was met with loud cheers and clapping as another item was sold -this time for a very high price- before she walked back to the table while replacing her mask.

She slipped back into her seat unnoticed by the rest of the table except Bruce who gave her a small smile. The smile -no matter how small- was something that she needed and it allowed her mind to slowly slip back to normal. She took a few sips of her water and placed some bids on some items for the next 10 or so minutes and nothing had happened causing her worry to subside greatly.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," The Master of the Ball said, "The last item for tonight's auction -before the first dance auction takes place- a red oak wood staff. Found on the Isle of Skye nearly a thousand years ago and kept in a private family collection ever since." Alba looked at Father Douglas who shrugged in response to her unspoken question of who was the owner of the staff that put it up for auction. "The staff has a large crimson ruby on the top with a pentagram inside in black. Good item for any Wiccan believers." Frowning slightly she turned and looked at the staff only to gasp at it.

It was a long slender red oak staff until you reached the top of it where it got bigger to accommodate the rather large crimson red ruby sat on the very top with bits of the wooden staff curled around it slightly to hold the massive jewel in place. Memories of the wood being smooth and warm in places where the original owner's hands had gripped it came flooding back to Alba along with the memory of her lips pressing gently against the cold surface of the ruby inside which was a black pentagram.

"Alba," Rona's voice pulled her back from the dark memories, "Are you alright?" She nodded before hearing the opening bid -£15,000- which had many people sitting and watching those who were quickly bidding on the item. Alba watched in amazement as the prize got higher and higher with every bid and at £28,000 she wondered if anyone in the room -other than herself- knew anything about the staff and its history.

"£30,000!" An elderly woman shouted causing the whole ball to turn and look at her.

"I have thirty-thousand with the wonderful lady in the pink." The Master of the Ball said, "Do I have thirty-thousand and five hundred pounds?" The room was silent while inside Alba's mind two sides of her were screaming at each other on whether or not to bid on the staff and walk away now with it. "Going once. Going twice!" She had reached her end and stood up to shout a price for the staff but her voice never got to make a sound.

"£50,000." A male voice boomed from across the hall over at the entrance. Everyone turned and looked at the man stood there. A sheet of long silky blood red hair hung his collarbone and contrasted greatly with his pure white skin but matched the colour of his eyes. He was tall and lean and dressed in a white tuxedo -which looked more grey when compared to his skin- with a red shirt which was undone by two buttons at the top allowing some chest hair to poke out the top.

"F-Fifty-thousand pounds?" The Master of the Ball asked out of disbelief causing the man to hold up his hands and smile an amazingly sparking white smile which had caused most of the female body in the room to swoon. Even Alba's knees gave in causing her to fall back into her chair before mentally cursing to herself.

"What can I say?" The man said smoothly before walking towards the middle of the hall. Everyone watched him as he nearly waltzed his way through the mass of tables. "I've got a lot of money and nothing to spend it all on." He turned to look at the Master of the Ball. "No-one will out bid me so-"

"One hundred thousand!" Rona shouted while standing up suddenly. Her outburst caused the man to look at her and smile while the rest of the room gawked at her. Only Alba glared at her causing her to only stand taller.

"One hundred and fifty thousand." The man said while moving towards the table.

"Rona sit down." Markus tried to reason with her but she raised the price higher by fifty thousand to which the man copied.

"Rona." Father Douglas said warningly as the man kept stepping closer with every bid.

"Three hundred thousand." Rona said.

"Rona stop." Alba said worriedly as the man bid again. Then so did Rona.

"_Clos_!" Alba's spell caused Rona to fall silent before she could bid again but her spell had its own effect on her -her hair and eyes darkened and her skin gain a very faint tint of blue- and Rona, Markus and Father Douglas didn't fail to notice this.

"Rona sit down." Markus said before adding, "Please." Rona quickly sat down as she was unable to protest causing the man to look slightly taken aback.

"What?" He asked with a small smirk, "Given up already? At five hundred and fifty thousand you should have continued to just see how far I would go to get that staff back." He watched Rona who glanced up at Alba causing the man's eyes to fall upon her but he shook his head and walked away towards the Master of the Ball and a young woman with blond curls who was holding the staff -both stood on a stage in front the crowd of tables.

"Now that this is mine." The man said, "I'll be taking it back!" He pulled the staff harshly out of the woman's hands before turning to face the crowd of tables and stepped back down off if the stage.

"You all need to get out." Alba said suddenly as the end of the staff hit the floor with a thud.

"What?" Tony asked while looking at her confused.

"Let's see if it's still working." The man said before the ruby started to glow, "_Teine stoirm_!"

"Get out!" Alba screamed before there was a blast and the room was suddenly filled with fire. The blast had sent people flying -including Alba- around the room. She hit the floor with a loud thud but the roar of the fire wouldn't have allowed anyone to hear it. Pushing herself up into a seated position she felt her skin start to burn causing her to hold her hands out in front of her on instinct only to see them already light sapphire blue.

"_Dràgon bian_!" She shouted causing a golden light to appear in both her hands and then spread from them creating a shield in front of her. She looked around her to find the air on fire and tall flames surrounded her. She knew that even with her spell she couldn't get through the flames. There was only one option.

She stood up and allowed her shield to fall away before holding up her hands in front of her again. A frosty blue light filled her hands just like the golden one and she moved her right hand in a circle anti-clockwise until it was above her head before moving her left hand in a clockwise circle until it was next to her right hand.

"_Eigh stoirm_!" She cried before throwing both lights in her hands to the ground causing another large blast and the air turned ice cold before tiny shards of ice were being blown violently about the room.

The air around Bruce turned ice cold and tiny shards of ice fell against his skin as he sat up slightly. It was much better than the air being on fire and burning his lungs which made it incredibly difficult to control the Other Guy. He looked around him as he tried to control his breathing in an attempt to calm down but he couldn't see anyone only the thrown tables and chairs. That was until a pair of hands landed upon him -one on the top of his arm and the other on his forehead- causing him to turn in an attempt to see who it was.

"_Caidil_." A gentle voice whispered in his ear as a mass of lilac hair glittering with shards of ice on it fell over his face before being replaced by darkness.

Tony shook his head as he tried to regain his senses but it only made the room start spinning. Though the spinning of the room never stopped him before and it wasn't now as he stood up only to stagger to the side as the wind causing the icy shards to fly caught him. He held onto an upturned table to steady himself before a thought hit him.

"Bruce!" He shouted, "Bruce!" Though his shouts were lost in the howling ice filled wind.

Alba looked around the room as best as she could while removing her mask and throwing it to the ground. As the spell was hers she went unaffected by it so she couldn't feel the cold or the shards of ice and it also meant she could see better than anyone else in the room. All she could see was shadows moving around in the ice storm she had conjured in order to battle the flames but she didn't know which shadow was who's.

"_Lorg_!" She whispered causing her vision to go dark before returning with the world in a bright grey -that was moving because it was the ice in the wind. All the shadows had been replaced with pulsing red shapes as they moved around her but she soon spotted a jade green shape next to a red one which was lying on the ground.

"Rona!" She shouted while running over to her as Alba's second spell wore off, "Rona!" But there was no reply from her and as Alba got closer to where she had seen her, her first spell started to wear off as well. Then just before she reached the two shapes the jade green one disappeared leaving only the red one lying on the ground.

"Rona!" Alba called before finding Bruce on the floor, "Doctor Banner!" She dropped to her knees next to him and shook him in an attempt to wake him.

"Bruce can you hear me?" She asked but he didn't wake or respond. She looked him up and down but nothing seemed wrong with him except his lips being tinged blue. Hypothermia had begun to set in for Bruce causing Alba to worry.

"Bruce, you need to wake up." She said, "Bruce wake up!" Nothing, not even a stir. She begin to panic and fear the worst.

_'You've done this so now you have to fix it.'_ A part of you told her causing her to nod before moving so she could cradle Bruce's head in her lap -only because of what she planned to do next and he was unconscious. Then the wind died causing the ice to blow away into nothing and the storm died.

"Chaos?" The voice of the man from before with the blood red hair came drifting towards Alba. She could feel it now -the power, the darkness, the excitement it awoke inside of her- as he said the name she had gotten so long ago causing her to look up at him. He laughed. "No! There is no way I would be so lucky! Lady Luck doesn't just hand me this." He walked towards her while holding the staff in his hand.

Alba was struck dumb as she looked at him and how he glided towards her and the unconscious Bruce. His blood red eyes holding her prisoner on her knees so she was below him and even though she held her left hand to Bruce's cheek and her right hand gripped his suit jacket she forgot where and when she was.

Until fear started to pound though her veins and her heat began to race and sound like the thundering hooves of a heard of dear on the run. Her breathing quickened to keep proving her body with enough oxygen and then -before she knew it- words began to flow clearly from her mouth.

_"East or West, Hame is best!"_


	9. Chapter 9

In a flash of sapphire blue light Alba found herself on the bed in Ailsa Craig Castle's spare upstairs bedroom panting for breath. Tears started to flow freely down her cheeks as her fear broke completely free and no other reaction would be enough at that moment in time -not even a prayer was going to help. Her right hand tightened even more around the fabric it was already gripping to. She frowned before looking down at her right hand to find it gripping tightly to Bruce's suit jacket. She let go of it with a gasp as she realised she had brought him with her to the castle.

_'Wasn't that the plan in the first place?'_ It passed through her head as a thought from a part of her.

_'It must have been.'_ She thought before feeling Bruce shiver which reminded her about the hypothermia he was suffering from causing her to kick into action. She moved his head out of her lap and onto a pillow at the head of the bed while taking off his mask. She removed his jacket as best as she could without waking him as it was soaked through with the melted ice. She looked back at him and sighed. The rest of his cloths were just as wet meaning she was going to have to strip him of them.

"This is going to be interesting." She mumbled as she stood up and walked to the large chest of draws at the end of the bed before opening each draw one at a time and searched through them, "These should fit!" She lifted out a pair of faded purple pyjamas and held up the bottoms letting them fall open. "Shouldn't they?" She looked back at him and tried to compare the sizes causing her to bite her bottom lip in uncertainty.

"Here's hoping!" She said before setting about getting Bruce changed as quickly and respectably as possible.

"Mr Stark!" Rona called out as she pushed past the wreckage of the hall that the ball had been in, "Tony!" She continued towards the centre of the hall. "Tony! AAHH!" She screamed as someone grabbed the tops of her arms and pulled her around to face them.

"Who was that?" Tony asked as Rona now stood facing him as he held onto her.

"Who are you on about?" She asked frightened.

"Who was that person that took Bruce?" Tony asked causing Rona's jaw to drop slightly. It then took them a few seconds to realise that Tony's phone was ringing. "C-Can you get that for me?" Rona nodded and took out Tony's mobile from his trouser pocket before answering it.

"Hello?" She asked timidly.

"Umm... Rona?" Natasha's voice said from the speaker, "What are you doing with Stark's phone?"

"We were both up at Saint Andrews attending a charity event and now something has happened." Rona said while looking up at Tony as he stared at her while gripping onto the tops of her arms for support.

"Rona, what's happened?" Natasha asked worriedly, "Are Bruce and Stark alright?"

"I think Tony is suffering with concision." Rona said, "And Bruce is missing."

"She took him." Tony said.

"Who took Bruce?" Natasha asked before there was commotion in the back ground.

"I-I don't know." Rona said truthfully before Tony asked for the phone which Rona held up to his ear.

"A witch." Tony said clearly down the phone, "A witch took Bruce." Rona's eyes widened at the statement before looking around the room in search of one other person; Alba.

Once Alba had gotten Bruce out of his drenched cloths and into the dry faded pyjamas -which surprisingly fit well on him- she threw the bed covers over him followed by thick blankets before rushing out of his room. She dashed down the stairs, past the piano, the stairs to the garden and the balcony, past the stairs to her room and the steps to the chapel before turning a corner and dashing down the stone spiral staircase. She ran as fast as she could around the tables in the grand hall and over to the doorway to the narrow corridor before heading the rest of the way to her alchemy lab. Pulling the old large and heavy book open she began searching for the potion she needed.

_'Flame Fruit Elixir_  
_Ingredients; Wolfsbane and Flame Fruit._  
_Helps to battle Hypothermia by using the warm juices of the Flame Fruit to warm up the drinker but also give their body some energy to help battle against Hypothermia.'_

Alba nodded as she read the instructions before seeing how long it would take to make -about an hour which would be to long but she had no other choice. She pulled back her hair -which was still wild and black- and tied it back into a messy bun before crossing over to one of the ingredient cabinets and opened it. She searched through all the jars of ingredients in search for the Flame Fruits that she kept there. She then pulled out a warm jar filled with a golden coloured liquid and as she moved it she could feel the Flame Fruits swimming about in their own juices. She placed the jar on the alchemy lab table before rushing down the stairs near the Amethyst sphere and found herself in the darkened room there at the foot of the stairs.

In the middle of the room was a gentle glow off of a large ebony and silver contraption that held a large glass sphere on the top of it. The sphere had a large silver half-moon inside it as Alba passed it by while walking around the room running her fingers over the plants in the plant pots that lined the walls of the room. Her fingers brushed over leaves, flowers and mushroom caps. Each felt different to her and this was how she could find them all in the dark so when she felt her fingers brush over the flowers of the Wolfsbane plant she stopped and picked the amount that she needed before rushing up the stairs and started brewing the elixir.

After adding the ingredients to the cauldron of boiling water and casting the required spells she left it to brew on its own as she walked tiredly through to the grand hall and then back up to the spare bedroom. She walked over to the jug and basin on the bedside table closest to Bruce before picking up the jug. She closed her eyes and held onto the jug with both hands while chanting a spell in her head before feeling the jug get heavier causing her to open her eyes to find the jug full to the brim with warm water which she poured some of into the basin. She set down the jug and picked up a face cloth just as Bruce stirred slightly but he didn't wake up so she placed the facecloth into the water before taking it back out and rung it out. She placed the facecloth onto Bruce's forehead after pushing a few curls back off of his forehead while sitting down on the bed next to him.

Sighing, Alba looked down at the skirt of her dress. Though she didn't exactly know how it happened she found that it had been ripped to shreds. She could explain the burnt bits but not how it had been ripped up so badly. She removed the facecloth from Bruce's forehead as she felt it beginning to cool under her hand and placed it back into the water. As she rung it out she seen her skin change back to milky white and her hair fell out if the bun slightly as it became thinner. She replaced the facecloth on Bruce's forehead before fixing her hair and then buried her face in her hands.

"Oh God, what am I going to do?"

"Tony, you have concision." Natasha said, "You're not thinking straight!" She and Clint had arrived in just under an hour and a half after Rona had spoken to them. Natasha had then spent the time between arriving at the hall and the time it took Thor and Steve to arrive trying to calm Tony down but he wouldn't take it.

"I am Natasha!" Tony shouted while fighting against her hands as she tried to keep his hands still to avoid him harming anyone or himself after prying his hands off of Rona's arms, "I'm thinking straight! She had long, wild black hair, blue skin like a frost giant but darker and she was smaller than what Thor claims them to be and she didn't have red eyes, they were dark blue. Natasha please! Listen to me!" Natasha froze at the begging in Tony's voice. "Please Nat. She took Bruce, my best friend and science bro. Please, believe me."

Natasha couldn't say anything so she just nodded causing Tony to allow himself to be lead away to the ambulance outside.

"Thor," She said as she watched Tony being led away, "What do you know about witches?" Thor frowned before uncrossing his large arms.

"What kind of witch?" Thor asked causing Natasha to turn and look at him in shock and confusion.

"There's more than one kind?"

_Flames flickered and crackled in front of Alba as she watched them. She could do nothing but watch as they grew taller and came closer. Her feet began to get too warm for her liking and her skin started to blister as the white hot flames got even closer to her but there was nothing she could do -she couldn't move, not even if she wanted to._

_The flames licked at the skin of her legs as she just watched them and tried to forget about the screaming in her head as her feet burned. By the time the flames had caught a hold of her rags she was looking up at the sky with tears running down her face._

_She watched without any care in the world as the black smoke poisoned the rare blue sky. The amber's off of the fire danced about in the air before her eyes which began to sting. She closed her eyes as the flames reached her hips._

_"This is my repentance." She whispered, "And it will set me free."_

Alba gasped as she awoke from her dream with a jolt. Her eyes opened and looked around the room to find herself lying on the bed of the spare bedroom of the castle. She turned her head to look at Bruce to find him still fast asleep causing her to sigh before getting up.

Wondering how long she had been asleep for she looked up at the grandfather clock in the room. 3:32 in the morning. She smiled to herself before looking back at Bruce's peaceful face.

"Tea." She said to yourself before crossing over to the bedside table next to Bruce. With a flick of her wrist and a white glow a white note with writing on it appeared in her hand before she placed it down on the bedside table and left the room quietly.

A few hours later Bruce awoke slowly as the smell of something tasty filled the air. He opened his eyes and sat up before frowning as he seen where he was -and it wasn't what he expected.

He slowly pushed himself up into a seated position and looked around the room. It was a large stone walled and floored room with a smooth grey stone fireplace with a crackling fire burning behind a black metal fireguard. There were stone shelves with dark blue candles behind curved glass protectors all around the room to light it up as there were no windows. A white and black gramophone sat opposite the large white wooden and light blue canopy bed that Bruce was sat in. At the end of the canopy bed was a white wood and black marble topped dresser, in the far left corner of the room was a matching high backed sofa next to a white wood book case. A large white grandfather clock with black numbers stood in the closest left corner and two white wooden bedside tables stood on each side of the bed.

When he looked at the bedside table closest to him his eyes fell upon a small half-filled crystal decanter with a note.

_'When you wake up drink this.'_ Was written on the note in thin curly handwriting. He looked back at the half filled decanter to see the liquid inside was a golden colour and the light of the fire flickered in it. He played with the note before it fell from his fingers and landed face down.

_'Honestly, it will help. You've been drinking it all night. Where do you think the other half of the bottle is?'_ Bruce blinked at the other half of the note before throwing the covers back. He froze when he seen that he was wearing faded purple pyjamas and not his suit. He thought back to what happened back at the ball but he couldn't remember anything that could tell him what happened after the fire and ice storms.

"What the-?" He asked himself before hearing voices from outside of the room. He stood up before feeling his head spin and ended up sitting back down on the bed and buried his head in his hands as he waited for his head to stop spinning. Once it did though he looked back up at the decanter and sighed before reaching out and picking it up.

"Calm! The two of you!" Alba commanded of Rona and Markus causing the two of them to stop their fight -which they had been doing for the last hour- and turn to face her, "Now will you both stop bickering and tell me -one at a time- what has the both of you on edge?"

"Father Douglas is dead." Markus said, "He died in that fire." Alba took a deep breath and stood taller before slowly nodding her head.

"He was a good man even though he was arrogant and overly proud." She said before turning to Rona as she spoke.

"Doctor Banner is missing and Stark described your other form to the very last detail." Rona said urgently, "He even had concision and he described you -clearly! The man is amazing at detail even though he doesn't remember much of it now but Doctor Banner is missing and if he's here then-" She stopped and stared up at the balcony over-looking the great hall causing Alba and Markus to look at each other with a frown before turning to look at the balcony.


	10. Chapter 10

The three of them stood together in a tense silence as they all looked up at the balcony over-looking the great hall and who was stood there in silence looking down at the three of them. Alba took a deep breath before finally breaking the silence.

"Doctor Banner." She said but he didn't respond. He just stared down at the three of them.

"You're going to get done for kidnap!" Rona hissed at Alba causing her turn and look at her shocked.

"Kidnap!?" Alba said horrified, "I did no such thing!"

"Try telling that to SHEILD!" Rona nearly shouted.

"Never mind SHEILD!" Markus shouted, "You've broken one of the rules, Madam!" This caused Alba to roll her eyes.

"John drove too much of his nonsense about keeping me under lock and key into that head of yours Markus." Alba said, "I'm free to come and go as I please. Anyway, I brought Doctor Banner here as he was suffering with hypothermia. He was in need of help, Rona! I can't turn away from someone in their time of need! You above all people should know that!"

"I know but you could have taken him to a hospital!" Rona shouted.

"And tell the A&E staff, what exactly!?" Markus shouted causing Rona to turn on him.

"Right, that's enough!" Alba said while stepping in between them both but they continued to argue just the same, "I SAID ENOUGH!" They both stopped at her raised voice and looked at her frighten. She turned to Markus and began to speak to him.

"Now Markus, head back to Saint Andrews." She said, "Get yourself ready for John's funeral and prepare for the Brotherhood's plan of action. Tell them what you know but don't mention where Doctor Banner is, alright?" Markus nodded. "Good lad. Now go and don't come back unless it is extremely important." He then left using the left staircase to the entrance hall.

"Rona," She said while turning to her and resting her hands on her shoulders, "I need you to go back to the mainland and get Doctor Banner's things for him then once you have them bring them back here." She nodded and went to leave as well but Alba stopped her. "And be careful." She nodded before hugging Alba quickly and then dashed from the great hall using the right staircase. Alba sighed as she heard the castle front doors swing heavily closed behind Markus and Rona.

"So," Bruce's voice said from behind her causing her to turn and look up at him, "I guess I'm staying." She nodded. "As a guest or a captive?"

"As a guess Doctor," She said before looking down at her hands, "But unfortunately my home is on an isolated Isle with no electricity or phone lines and there is no way for me to contact the mainland other than to use Markus to send letters to people. There's no post man here either as you can guess. It's just you, me and the wildlife really." She looked up at him to find him watching her. "I am sorry." He nodded before turning away from her and walked out of sight. She sighed before heading towards the spiral staircase.

"Bruce." She called, "Please, believe me. I didn't exactly plan this or the ball for that matter but this is where we are now. We can't change that past." She walked towards him as he stood near the balcony entrance. He looked up at her and he seen she was dressed in a long white day dress with long sleeves, square neck line and a purple sash around her waist as she walked towards him. "I only brought you here because you had hypothermia and I'm not someone who just walks on by and doesn't help." He ran his hand back through his curly brown hair as she stopped about an arm's length away from him. He sighed before speaking to her.

"What happened at the ball?" He asked causing her to relax and clasp her hands together in front of her.

"How about we talk about it over a cup of tea in the library?" She asked him before he nodded causing her to give him a small smile, "Okay. Follow me and I'll show you to the library." She turned slightly to her right and waited for him to walk towards her. At first he was unsure but curiosity got the better of him and he walked towards her before following her around the corner, past the spiral staircase and through a large archway into the library.

He stopped in his tracks as he seen the many floor to ceiling bookcases fully stacked with books of all ages and sizes. His eyes scanned over the many books in amazement. There were first editions of all the British greats -like _Jane Eyre_, _Wuthering Heights_, _Emma_, _A Tale of Two Cities_- and books Bruce had never heard of. There was even a complete set of _Harry Potter_ in your library and he even noticed some American novels like _Gone with the Wind_, _The Grapes of Wrath_ and _Leaves of Grass_. He admired all the old books and even some journals that were in a set of bookcases of their own.

"Those are some of the journals of the world's most famous scientists, though mainly those from Britain but there are a few from other countries." Alba said after stopping at the top of the stairs and seeing him looking over the journals, "There are even some from Sir Isaac Newton. Though, I've never looked at them."

"Why do you have them?" Bruce asked.

"The Brotherhood -who you were looking at- works all over the world." She said, "They take the most important items in history and keep them safe. They brought me these journals to keep them safe but all they've done so far is collect dust. I've only looked at some of the journals from Albert Einstein but I ended up losing the concept of the work."

"You have so much knowledge at your fingertips." Bruce said causing her to look over the bookcases.

"You're welcome to read them sometime during your stay." She said causing Bruce to look at her shocked, "I might as well let someone read them." Alba then walked down the stairs. Bruce watched her -still shocked that she would so easily let him read the journals- and seen her stop at a pair of large high backed white wood and black sofa chairs with a white wooden table between them.

"You can sit here and read while I go and make us some tea." She said before turning and leaving through an archway behind her which lead back to the great hall. Bruce watched her leave the library before walking down the stairs and looking at the lower level of the library. He looked at the other bookcases filled with books and records. He also seen many old books, records and scrolls sat behind the glass of their display cases. He was amazed at how much she had in the library even though the room was -admittedly- small even with two levels of bookcases and display cases to hold everything.

"So, see anything you'd like to read?" Alba's voice asked softly as he sat down in one of the sofa chairs causing him to look at her as she held a sliver tea tray with two white china tea cups, saucers, a teapot and a small jug of milk with a small silver bowl and box while standing in the archway.

"A couple of things." Bruce said causing her to breathe a sigh of relief which he noticed. She placed the silver tea tray down on the table before sitting down in the sofa chair opposite him.

"I wasn't too sure which kind of tea you like so I brought two of each that I have in the kitchen." She said while opening the small box to show a set of different Twinings tea bags in individual packets. She pulled out a light blue packet and ripped it open before pulling out the tea bag. "I'm sorry about last night." She had placed the tea bag into her white china cup and started to pour hot water from the teapot over it. "Really I am."

"What happened last night?" Bruce asked watching Alba carefully. He hadn't even touched the small box or any of the tea bags inside it.

"A lot." She said while putting down the teapot and started to dunk her tea bag in the water to help flavour the hot water quicker, "Most of it caused by a darkness that Scotland hasn't seen in a very long time." She looked up at him to gauge his reaction only to find him watching her and nothing else. It made her feel uncomfortable but she knew she was going to have to do this sooner rather than later. "Bruce, what I tell you may or may not shock you." He sighed causing her to stop and watch him run his hand backwards through his curly hair.

"I've seen a lot, Alba." He said, "I've done a lot of things that would have shocked me before and now I'm not shocked by anything really. It would need to be really big to shock me."

"How about a 343 year old warlock who died back in the mid-1700s in Romania after fleeing Scotland in the early days of the year 1700?" Alba asked causing Bruce's eyes to widen slightly but not by much, "Because that's who the man that party-crashed last night at the ball is." Bruce sat and stared at her as she took out the tea bag from her cup completely and placed it on her saucer before adding a small dash of milk to her tea.

"A warlock?" Bruce asked, "How do you know this?" Alba froze as she thought about how best to answer that question. She bit her bottom lip as the truthful answer came to mind but then released she had a better answer though she knew he wasn't going to like it.

"Bruce, I know that we don't know each other but I need you to trust me." She said causing him to once again run his hand through his hair, "Please trust that if I refuse to tell you about something it is for your own good. Some things that you may ask me may put you in harms way or I might not know anything about them. Please Bruce, there are things I will keep from you and I have my reasons. I even keep things from Rona and Markus to keep them safe if something like last night happened." He looked at her and saw the pleading in her blue eyes, he could hear the begging in her voice as she spoke and the whole situation sounded rather familiar to him. He had already gone through all of what she was going through now and he had tried to keep people away but they never did and all he wanted was enough space to ensure their safety. So why wouldn't he give Alba the space she needed to keep others safe?

Because he wanted to know what she knew that could get people hurt and not let her carry this burden alone. He -like all those he tried to keep away- wanted to help.

"Bruce." Alba's voice said desperately as he thought about what to do, "Please." Her hand took his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Alright." He said before seeing her visibly relax with a relieved sigh as she let go of his hand and sat back in her chair.

"Thank you." She said with a smile as Bruce started to look through the tea bags before pulling out a green one -the _Everyday Tea & Green Tea Blend_- which Rona had sent Alba in a care package but she never really liked them that much. Green tea just didn't sit very well with her where as the _Twinings Moment of Calm_ was perfect for her.

"Though I still want to know what happened." He said, "I don't remember anything in between the moment when ice replaced the fire and waking up." Alba sat up slightly and picked up her cup.

"The party-crashing warlock from last night took that staff that Rona kept bidding against him for -do you remember it?" She said and he nodded, "Well the crimson ruby that sits in the staff on the top is called the Devil's Stone. It was stolen from its hiding place -Dunstaffnage Castle- in the port town of Oban over three hundred years ago back when the war between humans and the Darkness raged in Scotland." Bruce looked slightly shocked by what she was saying. "When the stone was stolen most of Scotland became victim to many horrible actions dealt by the warlock who had it."

"What's his name?" Bruce asked but Alba thought for a moment causing him to speak again, "Can you tell me it or is it-?"

"No-one really knows his name. You would have had to have been alive at the time of his reign of terror over Scotland -back over three hundred years ago." She said while cutting him off, "But people know his title -The Devil's Servant. It's mostly know by those who are left over from the many covens, the old tribes and those who had read many of the stories about him that know his title. He got it after stealing the Devil's Stone and using it to enhance his powers -or so the story goes."

"How do you know his title?" Bruce asked before he could stop himself. She gave a very small and short smile against her will before sighing as the only option made itself clear.

"I may not look it but I am a... a witch." She said before looking down at the half empty cup in her hands. Bruce watched her for a moment before speaking.

"When I get angry I lose control and turn into a monster." His statement caused her to look up at him confused. She had expected another kind of reaction to her confession but his confession in return shocked her greatly. She looked him over as he watched her carefully and took in the sheer amount of pure shock upon her face. She really hadn't expected it from him.

"You can't be." She whispered, "You're just not dark enough."

"Not dark enough?" He asked as a confused -but still amused- smile broke onto his face. She nodded before taking a sip of tea.

"There is no way you're a monster, Bruce." She said, "There's just no way. If anyone is a monster it's me."

"How are you a monster?" He asked but she turned her face away from him and took a drink of tea. There was an emotion that was clear in her blue eyes that Bruce could see and knew all too well.

_Regret._

Rona opened up the room the Bruce had -or would have- been staying in at the hotel for the night of the ball. She quickly and quietly closed the door behind her and started to look for the things Bruce had brought with him. She picked up the cloths he had left over the back of a chair in the room from before the ball; she searched through the draws provided and the cupboards where she found all of the things Bruce had brought with him. She packed it all into Bruce's bag before zipping it up and walking over to the door. She looked out through the peep-hole to check if anyone was outside and when there wasn't anyone she slowly opened the door before walking out into the corridor while closing the door behind her before disappearing down the corridor.

"What's this about more than one type of witch?" Tony asked as he stormed into the conference room back at SHEILD HQ in Edinburgh the same morning.

"I'd like to know how you came to the conclusion of witches." Rachel said from the large chair that she was sat in, "I mean this can't be real! Witches alive and running around Scotland causing disaster?"

"Why can't it be real?" Thor challenged, "People thought that I wasn't real and only a myth but here I am stood in front of you now, talking to you just as real as Stark or the Captain would. So tell me, how can't witches be real?"

"Because they can't!" Rachel said, "It. Has. Been. **Proven!** Plus, this all sounds rather medieval and dark ages if you ask me! Do you have any idea what it would mean if I told Director Fury what you just told me?"

"But look!" Natasha said while pulling up a video that had been taken by one of the survivors, "It's not normal for the air just too suddenly burst into flames and then turn into ice. Plus the description that Tony gave us looks like this!" A picture appeared on the screen of what Tony had described of the hall had looked like when the ice storm had cleared. "It takes a lot of supernatural power to do that!"

"It looks like a Frost Giant." Rachel said causing Thor to look at her confused, "We all had to research Viking beliefs and Scotland has many records that give rather detailed accounts of what happened and what things looked like." Thor nodded and turned to Steve as he spoke.

"Are we sure this isn't Loki or-" Steve managed to say before Thor cut him off.

"I know this isn't Loki." He said sternly before turning away from the group. He hadn't told them about Loki yet which meant the others -except Tony who wasn't paying attention to the others- were giving Thor confused looks. "This woman is not a Frost Giant. There is no way that she could be, there aren't very many left and they wouldn't dare to try anything here on Midgard. A witch on the other hand, I can believe. They come from your world and they have the ability to wreak havoc just like this." Rachel shook her head before sighing in defeat.

"Well we have more than one of them running about out there and I've given Rona some time off to recover with her brother." She said while standing up from the chair, "Try and figure this out and be fast about it. I don't want a repeat of the charity ball. Mr Stark, are you sure you don't want any time off to recover?" She looked at Tony to find him not listening to her. "Mr Stark?" He didn't look up from the file in his arms as he went searching through it.

"Tony?" Natasha said, "Hey!" He looked up at her shocked after she shouted at him. "Are you alright?"

"I-I have to go." Tony said before turning and walking over to the door before stopping. He looked back with a frown at them before nodding to himself as he agreed with a thought he had. "Point Break, how much do you really know about witches and black magic?"

"Enough to help you if you so wish." Thor said.

"Yeah." Tony said, "That would be great." He then left the room.

"Is everything alright with Mr Stark?" Rachel asked.

"He's worried about Bruce." Natasha said after recalling the begging that Tony done to make her believe him about the witch. She turned to look at the picture on the screen -it had a photograph of the destroyed hall in the background which had been taken from where Tony had been standing and superimposed on the photograph was the drawing of Alba cradling Bruce's head on her lap as he lay unconscious while she watched the blood red haired warlock walking towards her. The artist had done a really good job with the information Tony had given them and they had drawn Alba clearly with a lot of attention to detail.

"Doctor Banner!" Rona called as she entered the entrance hall. She closed the large and heavy wooden and metal door behind her before turning to look out over the great hall. She didn't hear anyone so she walked past the two large identical jade busts of human heads but only on the right side while on the other half of the face was the face of a creature of the dark -a bold hag or dark elf or goblin.

"Hello!" She shouted again as she entered the great hall. She looked around and didn't see either Alba or Bruce there. "Doctor? Alba?"

"She's asleep." Bruce's voice said suddenly and startled Rona, "Sorry."

"No, no." She said while looking over at him as he stood in the archway to the library, "Its fine. I'm fine. Where did you say Madam was?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at Alba's title. "Sorry, it's something the Brotherhood came up with for Alba."

"Oh!" Bruce said, "Well, Alba is sleeping at the moment." Now Rona raised an eyebrow but shook it off and walked down the right hand staircase -the closest staircase to the library- and held out Bruce's bag to him. "Thanks."

"Thank me after I get some of your stuff from SHEILD HQ back in Edinburgh for you." Rona said causing Bruce to give her a small smile.

"So I'm staying for a while then." He asked causing Rona to nod.

"I'm sorry to say it but it is for the best." She said, "At least, here you're safe."

"From the warlock, right?" Bruce asked causing Rona's eyes to dilate with shock and a hint of fear, "Sorry, Alba explained everything."

"Everything?" Rona asked.

"Well, not everything." He said, "Only the things she deemed fit to tell me." This caused Rona to relax.

"Sounds like Alba." She said before sighing, "Always keeping secrets. She has her reasons to but it drives you up the bloody wall when she continues to throw up blockades and brick walls to stop you finding out anything." This caused Bruce to chuckle.

"So the two of you are close?"

"Really close. Markus as well. She may not look it but she raised us from birth near enough." This caused Bruce to frown. "I guess she didn't tell you that she's not in fact my cousin." Bruce shook his head.

"No, she didn't. I think that got lost in the fact that she claims to be a witch." He looked up at Rona as she nodded. "So she really is a witch then."

"Yep!" She made a popping sound with her lips on the 'p'. "She's very old as well. Helped to look after evacuee children back in World War One and Two for that matter."

"How old is she?" Rona just shrugged her shoulders.

"She never told us when we asked. Though in saying that she could have forgotten her age. She's always looked the way she is -early to mid-twenties, beautiful and not a sign of how old she really is. She's a mystery to Markus as well -or so he claims anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Markus wasn't only Father Douglas' assistant at the University but also in the Brotherhood -who you've no doubt asked ten ton of questions about."

"Yeah... Nearly all of them got an answer as well."

"I bet the one that didn't get answer was the one about how she got involved with the Brotherhood." Bruce nodded. "Markus knows how she came to be in league with the Brotherhood as he worked closely with Father Douglas -who was Alba's keeper.

"Keeper?"

"He was meant to watch her and keep her safe, healthy, well fed and all that but he always sent Markus with a newspaper and the odd record -which was a rare once or twice- everyday to give to Alba. Father Douglas never visited her once except when he had no one else to send to do the job for him."

"Why didn't he visit?"

"He doesn't like Alba because she's a witch."


	11. Chapter 11

Tony had all the information that Markus had sent Bruce printed out and spread out over numerous desks and table tops. He had JARVIS running searches on pieces of information for descriptions of what he had seen at the ball. Thor had given him all the information he knew on witches before heading back to Asgard for reinforcements -Lady Sif and the Warriors three- even though Tony didn't notice that he had left. He continued to highlight sections of text, draw circles around paragraphs and put lines through other bits of text as he searched for the answers he needed. He glanced up at the computer screen JARVIS was displaying his work on.

Nothing.

Tony ran both hands back through his hair before messing it up as he thought for a moment. A few things drifted to the front of his thoughts causing him to close his eyes and lean back into his computer chair. He had many theories but he couldn't prove them. Though he would never admit it out loud he did admit to himself that he had nothing. There wasn't anything that he could see in the printouts of old records, nothing new from the story, nothing jumped out at him from the Brotherhood records and JARVIS was still running his search. He sat and thought about what Bruce had been looking at before the ball, he thought about what Bruce had been searching for and what he had been paying most attention to but even when Tony took it all into account he still couldn't figure it out.

"Come on Bruce." He said as he looked through Bruce's notes, "Talk to me. What did you find? What were you looking at?"

"Have you tried the story that Bruce was reading?" Natasha's voice asked suddenly causing Tony to jump before turning around to look at her shocked, "Sorry. Logan had said that you were talking to yourself and that you seemed to be stuck."

"I'm busy." Tony replied before turning back to Bruce's notes. This caused Natasha to frown slightly before walking over to Tony. "What do you want Natasha?"

"To help." She said while sitting down next to him and pulling a piece of paper over to look at, "What are you mainly looking for at the moment?"

"The witch."

"What about her mainly?"

"Just her. If I find her or any description of her then I find her name and once I have her name I can find where she is." Natasha nodded before reading the printout in front of her.

"How would you describe her?"

"What?" Tony looked up at her confused.

"How would you describe her, the witch?" Natasha looked up at him as he continued to frown in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, close your eyes." Tony looked at her even more confused but shook his head and turned his chair around to face her before closing his eyes, "Good now relax. JARVIS, record all of this for me."

"Yes miss." JARVIS said while moving the search to one side of the screen and brought up a recording window.

"Tony, I want you to listen to my voice. Only my voice and do what I ask you to do even if it's stupid, okay?" Natasha asked as she turned back to Tony and took his hands in hers. He nodded and she began a cognitive interview. "Okay Tony, think back to the night of the ball before the explosion, back to before the meal started. Now, you're sitting down at the table waiting for the rest of the table. Tell me, what you can smell?" Tony took a deep breath before picturing himself sat back at the table on the night of the charity masquerade ball.

"_DKNY_." Tony said, "_Be Delicious_, the green one." Natasha raised her eyebrows at him and his knowledge of perfumes but then shrugged it off as she had to continue the interview.

"Okay so, you can smell _Be Delicious_." She said, "Where is it coming from?"

"My right." Tony said.

"Who is it sat there?" Natasha asked causing Tony -in his mind- to turn and look to his right.

"Rona. It's Rona MacDonald."

"Okay, so Rona's sat there next to you. What is she doing? Is she talking to someone?"

"No. She's making a face." Natasha raised a knowing eyebrow and before she could ask another question Tony spoke again, "Someone else is there." Natasha frowned.

"Who's there Tony?"

"A woman. I think her name was Alba. She's Rona's cousin."

"What did she look like Tony?" Natasha asked curious as she hadn't met Alba and in fact, this was the first time that she had heard about her.

"She's just average. Average height, average weight, long brown hair, milky white skin-"

"But what drew you to her Tony?"

"Her perfume."

"What about it Tony?"

"It's fruity and woody but there was also a flowery smell and a hint of spice in it." Natasha frowned.

"Do you know what perfume it is?" Tony shook his head, "Okay so let's stay with Alba. What did she do next?" Tony watched Alba in his memory as she patted Rona's shoulder and looked at Markus' name card.

"She's looking for her seat."

"Where is her seat Tony?"

"Two seats away from me on my left. Next to Bruce."

"Okay, let's move forward to when everyone is sat at the table. Starting from the seat next to Rona on her right, who's sat where?"

"Rona's on my right, then her brother Markus, Father Douglas, Miss Morrison, Professor Morrison, Alba and then Bruce."

"Alright, tell me where the conversation at the table is going as it changes. Start at the beginning, who's talking?"

"Professor Morrison is talking about donating money for the charity."

"Help for Heroes."

"Yeah, that one. He's going on about the auction and what's in it."

"Who else is talking Tony?" Tony looked around the table in his memory.

_"There's a vinyl single by a man called Pharell Williams up for auction tonight." Professor Morrison said._ _"Really?" Rona asked as Alba looked at Professor Morrison, "Which song?"_ _"It's called 'Happy' if I recall correctly." Professor Morrison said._ _"I don't think I have that record." Alba said absent mindedly, "Must be newly out."_ _"It's not relatively new out but you're right Alba, you don't have it." Markus said causing Alba to smile._ _"I have to bid on it then!" She said cheerfully causing Rona and Markus to laugh slightly together while Father Douglas gave them both a glare from under his mask._

"Alba and Markus are talking about a record with Professor Morrison." Tony said, "Rona and Markus are having a giggle about something that Alba said. Father Douglas is glaring at them for some reason."

"Okay so those four are together and know something that you don't." Natasha said, "They may have dropped hints throughout the rest of the conversation. Move onto the starter, what was being said then?"

_"Alba can play the piano." Markus said._ _"Really?" Miss Morrison asked, "So how long have you been playing the piano, Alba?"_

"They're worried." Tony said as he seen them tense and Father Douglas to look over at Alba worriedly, "Father Douglas, Rona and Markus."

"What about Tony?" Natasha asked.

"About a question Miss Morrison asked Alba." Tony said.

"What did she ask?"

"How long Alba had been playing the piano." Natasha frowned. She wondered why they would be worried about that question.

"What else was said Tony?" She asked now trying to focus on Alba and the other three, "Did anything that Alba said stand out to you?"

_"Everyone feels things differently." Alba said in reply to one of Miss Morrison's comments, "It is what makes us human and individuals." Tony watched as a waiter walked up to her and asked if she wanted wine. "Water for me please."_ _"A water for me as well please." Bruce said causing Alba to glance at him slightly before turning to look at Professor Morrison and Father Douglas as they began to talk about the progress of the students at the University causing Tony to tune them both out._

"She talks about what makes us human and individuals." Tony said, "Then she starts to talk to Bruce about being a doctor."

"What did she say?" Natasha asked.

"Not much really." Tony said, "She said that she was a literature student and a volunteer but nothing else."

"Move onto the last course." Natasha said, "What's going on?"

"Professor Morrison and Father Douglas are fighting." Tony said.

"What about Rona and Markus?" Natasha said, "You've not heard or spoken to them in a while now."

"They're talking." Tony said.

"About what?" Natasha asked.

"Alba."

_"You shouldn't have brought her here!" Markus hissed to Rona._ _"I didn't think this would happen." Rona whispered, "Plus I needed to talk to her."_ _"About what Rona?" Markus asked, "Having a bit of difficulties keep __**It**__ under control?"_ _"SHUSH!" Rona hissed before turning to look around her, "Anyone could be listening!"_ _"Then do something about it!" Markus whispered._ _"What could I do and not attract attention to myself at the same time?" Rona snapped._ _"Madam manages it just fine! Why can't you?"_ _"Markus!"_ _"What?"_ _"Shut up!"_ _"You'd also have the pupils in confusion about what to do and won't be able to pass their exams along with people from faceless government organisations having free access to things that they can't understand." Father Douglas said while arguing with Professor Morrison._ _"Hey!" Tony snapped._

"Markus called her Madam." Tony said, "And he was going on about something. He didn't say what though."

_'Another secret?'_ Natasha thought, _'What are they hiding?'_

"Father Douglas is still arguing." Tony said.

"With who?" Natasha asked, "Professor Morrison?"

"No, with me." Tony said, "He's really angry about Bruce and me poking around. Defensive as well."

"What makes you say that Tony?" Natasha asked, "What's he doing or saying that makes you say that he's defensive."

"He demanded to know something and then got worried when Alba started to ask me questions." Tony said.

"What did she ask?"

"She asked me about the explosion, though I did roll out the welcome mat on the topic. Father Douglas interrupts us and Rona and Alba get offended by his comment."

"What was the comment?"

"He said that Bruce and I were on a witch hunt to get the story. He's trying to redirect us away from it, like he doesn't want us to get it. It's almost like he has an idea about what happened and he's worried."

"Do Rona or Alba say anything about the comment?"

"Alba asks about what story we're after but neither of us heard her."

"What happened next then?"

"She shouted at him."

_"John!" Alba shouted causing the whole table to look at her stunned before she spoke again, "What story?"_ _"The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross." Markus said._

"Does Father Douglas tell her?" Natasha asked.

"No, Markus does." Tony told her.

"And how does she react?" Natasha asked calmly.

"She drops her fork before excusing herself and leaving."

"Does anyone go with her?"

"Yeah, Rona but not before stopping next to Father Douglas."

"What does she do?"

"She says something to him but I can't hear her."

"Try reading her lips Tony. What can you make out?"

"She says something that I can't read in the beginning but I can read the end."

"What does she say?"

"-_Give up the witch hunt_."

"-And then she leaves to go after Alba." Tony told Natasha.

"So what happens while you're at the table after they leave?"

"Father Douglas starts to argue with Markus. It causes Bruce to leave, he's starting to lose control and needs some fresh air."

_"You shouldn't have told her!" Father Douglas snapped at Markus._ _"Why not?" Markus asked._ _"You know why!" Father Douglas nearly shouted._ _"I need some air." Bruce whispered to Tony._ _"Alright." Tony said, "Need any backup?"_ _"I'll be alright." Bruce said before getting up._ _"Okay." Tony said before watching Rona nearly bump into Bruce on the way back to the table, "You weren't gone long."_ _"She just needs some time alone." Rona said._

"So when Alba comes back, what's going on?" Natasha asked.

"The auction is on. Something has just been sold for a high price." Tony said but frowned.

"What is it Tony?"

"I didn't hear Alba coming back but Bruce noticed her come back. So did Rona and Markus."

"What made you notice them Tony?"

"Rona turned to look at Alba."

"Did anything happen?"

"No, nothing special. Just more items got sold."

"Move on a bit Tony. To the last item. How is everyone at the table?"

"They're interested in the item, even I'm interested."

"What makes it so interesting to you Tony?"

"The ruby. It's so big, it could fit in both my hands which is saying something as it has been cut."

"Tell me more about it."

"It's crimson, really big, shiny, had a black pentagram carved inside it -or so the guy says."

"Go back to the table Tony. Is anyone talking about it?"

"No, no-one is talking about it but Father Douglas and Alba are exchanging looks about it."

"Any idea why?"

"No, but Alba seems conflicted as the bidding begins and continues."

"As if she wants to bid on it?"

"Yeah, but when she builds up the courage and stands up ready to bid someone beats her to it."

"Who?"

"A man, in his late twenties."

"What does he look like?"

"Tall and lean with long blood red hair and white skin. His eyes are the same colour as his hair."

"How do you notice him?"

"He shouted out a bid of £50,00."

"Where is he in the room?"

"At the entrance but he moves to the middle of the room. It's almost as if he's danced there and the whole room is watching him, but the women are watching him intently."

"So he's commanding the room and has its complete attention. What does he say when he gets there?"

"That no-one will out bid him but Rona tries."

"How high do they get?"

"Four hundred and fifty thousand pounds." Tony frowned again and turned his head slightly.

"What is it Tony?"

"I heard something. A whisper."

"What was it?"

"Something I don't recognise. _Clos_."

"Who said it?"

"It sounded like- Like Alba." He frowned even more, "They're acting weird again."

"How so?"

"Father Douglas, Rona and Markus have all glanced up at Alba but then looked anywhere but her."

"Do you look at her?"

"No, I'm too busy paying attention to the man with the blood red hair."

"What is he doing?"

"Taunting Rona."

"How?"

"By implying that she gave up, that she wasn't willing to see just how far he would go to get- to get the staff back."

"Get it back? Are you sure?"

"Yes, he said 'back'."

"What is he doing now?"

"He's going to get the staff."

"Once he's got it back what happens? Is the witch there?"

"No, she's not. Not that I can see anyway but Alba is speaking."

"What is she saying?"

_"You all need to get out." Alba said._ _"What?" Tony asked confused._ _"Let's see if it's still working." The man said._

"She's telling us we need to leave, need to get out of the hall. It's like she knows what's going to happen." Tony said.

"Why don't you leave?" Natasha asked.

"Because I don't see a reason why we need to leave. There's no danger just some guy who's party crashing."

"What happens next Tony?"

"Alba screams for us to get out and then I'm thrown back and the air is on fire."

_"Teine stoirm!"_

"He spoke. He said something, it sounded similar to what Alba said."

"What did he say?"

"_Teine stoirm_ and then Alba screamed for us to get out and after that I was lying on the floor and the air was on fire."

"Is the witch anywhere near you?"

"No, I can't see. It's all just fire and my lungs are burning with every breath I take."

"Okay, we'll move on. Go to when the fire turns to ice, what do you see or hear?"

"I see ice blowing around the room. It's like a blizzard, you can't see anything that's more than a foot away from you."

"What do you hear Tony?"

"The wind, it's howling all around me."

"Okay, so where's Bruce? Do you know?"

"No. I don't even see or hear the Hulk either. I don't know where anyone is." Tony was gripping tightly onto Natasha's hands as he began to worry about Bruce and the storm that surrounded him in his memory.

"Alright, move on to when the storm cleared. What do you see, what can you hear?"

"I can hear the man speaking."

"Okay, focus on what he's saying. Does he say anything important like a name?"

"No, he mentions Lady Luck."

"What else does he say?"

"Something about chaos. He's laughing about his luck and what Lady Luck would hand him."

"Does anyone reply to him?"

"I don't hear anyone for a while but when I do they say something strange."

"What do they say?"

"_East or West, Hame is best_."

"Who says it Tony?"

"The witch but she sounds familiar."

"Okay, look up at her. Focus on what you see, not what you hear. What is she doing?"

"She's kneeling on the ground and cradling Bruce's head in her lap. She's watching the man."

"Is there anything in particular about how she's watching him?"

"Yeah, it's almost as if she's seen him before but a long time ago. She seems almost submissive to him and trapped by him looking at her. It's odd, she seems to have forgotten where she is."

"What about Bruce, how is he?"

"He's unconscious. He doesn't look good."

"How so?"

"He's white from the cold."

"Are his lips blue?"

"Yeah, they are."

"Look back to the witch, describe her to me."

"She seems to be average height, size with long thick wild black hair, blue skin and dark blue eyes."

"How is she dressed?"

"A torn up black dress with one purple shoulder strap-"

"What is it Tony?"

"I'm not sure, I've seen someone dressed similarly to her."

"Who? Someone at the table?"

"Yes, but I can't remember who."

"Okay, relax and let your mind wonder to something other than the ball." Tony nodded before taking another deep breath. He frowned.

"I can smell _Be Delicious_, the green one. Somewhere nearby."

"Rona must be near you or was near you."

"Alba, I can't see her either."

"She might be outside already or just out of sight. Try and go back to the witch, what does she do when she hears the man speak?"

"She looks up at him. In fact, she hears the word chaos and she looks up at him."

"Is that when the man laughs?"

"Yeah!" Tony opened his eyes, "How did you know?" Natasha let go of his hands and turned to the printout she had been reading. "Natasha, what is it?"

"The man said chaos, correct?"

"Yeah."

"And the witch looked up at him?"

"Again, yeah." Natasha smiled, "What is it?"

"He didn't say chaos as a word Tony. He said Chaos as a name."

"Her name." Tony looked at Bruce's notes and flicked through them, "I've read that somewhere."

"As have I Sir." JARVIS said.

"Where?" Tony and Natasha said together.

"In one of the records sent to Doctor Banner by Mr MacDonald." JARVIS said before pulling up one of the images of the records Bruce had asked for.

"What record is it?" Natasha asked.

"A record on a witch called Chaos." JARVIS said, "It says that she was alive in the late 1600's but there is no date of birth or death."

"What does it say about her?" Tony asked.

"It tells of her being a Night Walker and how she spent most of her life successfully avoiding the Brotherhood and human beings." JARVIS said, "It also describes her."

"Do tell." Tony said.

"Please give me a moment to convert the old text into the modern day dialog." JARVIS said as a loading bar popped up on the screen before disappearing less than a minute later, "It say that when she became a Night Walker she gave up her name for her new one -Chaos- and her skin turned to a light sapphire blue that would cause sapphires to darken with jealousy, her hair became as dark as a blacked and starless night sky and her eyes became a dark blue that rivalled the blue rose. There is a drawing that I have found that matches her description."

"Pull it up." Natasha said before the picture filled the screen.

"Nat, that's her." Tony said as he looked over the picture.

"Are you sure?" Natasha asked.

"I'm dead certain." Tony said as they both stared at the picture. It showed a female figure stood tall at an angle with blue skin and long wild black hair. One blue hand was on her hip closest to the viewer and the other hand pulling back her long black hair to allow the viewer to see one dark blue eye looking at them. She was dressed in a rather revealing black outfit that left nearly nothing to the imagination and purple rose petals lay in her hair as she stood in the picture.


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce awoke with a jolt as he heard screaming. He looked around the room as the candles and fireplace slowly lit themselves. He sat up while rubbing his eyes before looking at the grandfather clock. It was 5:20 going on to 5:21 in the morning and this had been happening for the two weeks that Bruce had so far spent staying on Ailsa Craig. It was always at the same time in the morning as well and every time he asked Alba about it she would ignore it and try to turn his attention away from his questions. He threw his covers off of him and got out of bed before leaving his room and heading down the stairs.

"Alba, are you alright?" He shouted as he walked past the balcony overlooking the great hall and headed towards the steps to the chapel and the staircase up to Alba's room, "Alba?" He walked up the steps and stood at the bottom of the staircase to the chapel. He waited there for her to reply but all he could hear was her praying.

"Amen." He heard her say at last causing him to start to walk up the stairs. The last time he had tried to enter the chapel before she finished praying she had made the doors slam closed on him so he had to wait at the bottom of the stairs for her to finish praying -even though it bothered him greatly.

"Sorry Bruce." Alba said as she stood up from the floor just as he got to the top step.

"It's fine." He said, "I think I'm use to it now."

"After two weeks?" She asked while turning around to face him, "Do you normally wake up at stupid o'clock in the morning to screaming?"

"Uh... No, it's not that, exactly." He said while moving uncomfortably.

"Then what is it?" She asked while walking over to him with an amused smile.

"I don't really sleep much." He said before hastily adding, "Normally I mean." Alba nodded as she pulled the doors closed.

"Nor do I." She smiled at him as she looked up at him.

"I also had a friend who -for a while- woke up screaming in the middle of the night." He said while watching her.

"Then she was lucky to have you as a friend to support her." She said before starting to walk down the stairs, "Shall we get breakfast since we're up?"

"Uh... Sure." Bruce said with a confused frown before following her down the stairs, "Alba, I need to ask this-"

"Would you like to go out around the Isle?" She asked cutting him off, "You're well again with no sign of hypothermia and Rona's brought you all of your things. It would do the both of us some good to get outside for some fresh air and not keep breathing this musty air of the castle. Which reminds me I need to leave the front and garden doors open again otherwise we won't be able to breath!" This caused Bruce to stop and watch Alba with a frown as she continued down the stairs.

"There's a garden?" He asked.

"Of course!" She said happily, "Where do you think I get all my fruit and vegetables from?" Bruce smiled before seeing that Alba had disappeared around the corner causing him to follow her.

"Alba, are you sure that I'm alright to go out?" Bruce asked as he stepped into the great hall from the spiral staircase. He heard her laugh from the kitchen. "I'm not Scottish like you are."

"No, you're not." She laughed from the kitchen, "But don't forget that I'm not just Scottish." Bruce nodded before taking the seat furthest away from the kitchen on the top table -which he had been sitting in from the first meal he had had at the castle. "Though in saying that most people don't class witches as humans."

"I wouldn't know." Bruce said, "You look human to me."

"Well back in my day I wasn't classed as human." She said while bringing out the silver tea tray that she use to carry in tea cups, teabags, milk and sugar.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Too old." She said as she sat down next to him and started to set up the tea cups and tea for breakfast. Bruce sighed at her vague answer which he had been receiving since she had explained what had happened at the ball in reply to all his questions. "I won't tell you anything that you don't need to know. I've already said that."

"No, you said you wouldn't tell me anything that would get me hurt."

"That too." A whistle came from the kitchen causing Alba to rush into the kitchen. Bruce ran his hand through his brown curls before getting up with his cup of tea and walked over to and then into the library. He walked around the bookcases and display cases looking for something to read in order to take his mind off of her vague answers and the walls that she threw up in order to keep him at arm's length. He hated it and he wouldn't lie about it to her or himself. He hated not knowing anything about her where she knew nearly everything about him. What made it even worse was that she had perfectly good reasons for not telling him about herself.

"Bruce?" Alba called from the great hall as she brought in his and her breakfast from the kitchen, "Are you in the library again? What are you looking for in there?" She placed the plates on the table and stood with her hands folded in front of her as she watched the archway to the library for Bruce coming back through to the great hall. Instead, he looked into one display case and seen a rather large and old looking book that lay on the red fabric of the case behind the glass lid.

_'Brotherhood Records - Night Walkers'_ was written on the cover of the book. This caused Bruce to put his tea cup down and take the book out of the display case before picking up his tea and walking back through to the great hall where Alba had sat down at her usual seat and started to drink her tea.

"Alba, what is a Night Walker?" This caused her to look up at him with a frown.

"A term used by the magical community when speaking in public so not to be caught by those who would kill them for having magic back in the 17th century to describe a witch or wizard who had been consumed by Darkness." She told him, "Why do you ask?" His answer in reply was him putting the book down on the table causing her to stare at it before looking at him as he sat down in his chair.

"So this book is about dark witches and wizards?" He asked while looking up at her. He watched her carefully as her eyes slipped away from his face and down to the book where they harden at the sight of it. "Is he in this book? The warlock I mean."

"Along with other things." She said while lifting her eyes to Bruce.

"Like what? Things created by The Darkness?" She nodded her head once and didn't take her eyes off of Bruce's face. She tried to read it but she couldn't tell what he was thinking at all and it worried her. "Alba, what is it that worries you so much?" She looked down at the book and frowned as she thought about what to say in reply but just before she could say anything the front door opened causing her to sigh.

"Morning Markus." She said deadpanned while turning in her seat to look at the stairs from the entry hall into the great hall.

"Morning Alba!" He said with his cheeky boyish grin that disappeared as he turned to look at Bruce, "Doctor Banner."

"Markus." Bruce said in reply before turning to his breakfast in the hope of being left out of whatever awkward conversation Alba and Markus were going to have.

"I thought I told you to not come back unless it's urgent." Alba said causing Markus to turn and look at her.

"You did." Markus said before holding up a newspaper in his right hand, "I thought that this counted as urgent." Alba frowned as he walked over to her. He placed the newspaper down next to her plate causing her to look at him with bewilderment. "When you're- When you're not busy." Her bewildered gaze turned into an almighty glare from hell that would have had Markus wishing that he could run to the hills and not come back. He now understood why Father Douglas never came to see Alba once he explained everything to Markus that he needed to do.

"How long until the boat leaves?" She asked while picking up her cup of tea.

"A few hours." He said.

"Good." She said while pushing her plate towards him, "Eat and don't say you're not hungry Markus. Don't forget whose vegetable garden you ate through in just two days when you were six." With that she got up and left using the spiral staircase. "Don't fight with each other either! I am just upstairs!" Bruce blinked at the statement and looked up at Markus who shrugged before sitting down at the table and began stuffing his face with your breakfast.

"Is she always so-?" Bruce asked.

"Mysterious?" Markus asked before nodding, "Every day I see her and she practically raised Rona and I."

"I heard the same thing from Rona." Bruce said as he sat back in his chair after eating only a few mouthfuls, "But Rona said you'd know more than she would." Markus laughed.

"Ah, that's Rona for you." Markus said, "Can't tell when she's lying or when she's telling the truth."

"You're saying that your sister lied to me?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, and worst of all is that you know that she was lying." Markus said, "You've seen her for yourself." Bruce frowned before picking up and then opening the book he had found in the library.

Meanwhile, Alba sat on the railing of the balcony with her legs handing over the side while watching the two below her talking away as if she were as deaf as a doorknob before watching Bruce reading the book he had brought through from the library. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere found out about her. She knew that Tony was looking for Bruce and it seemed as if nothing was going to stop him from finding the two of them. There wasn't a matter of if Tony was going to find the both of them, it was a matter of when he would find them and she knew that hiding away wasn't going to be to last for forever. She sighed as Bruce read through the book, flicking by those she once knew and once -very long ago- she had been a major part of.

_"Never dwell on the past child," _A man's voice said, _"For that is how we lose ourselves to the Darkness. Everything that has happened is all a thing of the past. Yes, we must learn about it and discover where we came from and learn from the mistakes that we made but holding onto the grief which it has caused us will only turn Day Dwellers into Night Walkers. You know what happens when you wonder off of the path of the light -that very fine line that makes us good- don't you, Alba?"_

"The Darkness consumes us." She whispered in answer to the memory before swinging her legs back over the railing, hopped off and walked off to her room to get dressed.

"Markus!" She shouted from the narrow corridor as she opened the door to it after unlocking it once she had finished in the room with the alchemy lab and sphere. She hadn't allowed Bruce past the door since he had woken up as it was for the same reason as to why she wouldn't let him in the chapel after her nightmares -she was afraid of what he would see. He had taken the fact that she told him she was a witch quiet well though she had of course thought he was in shock -the only explanation she had as to why he said he turned into a monster when he got angry and lost control- but once Rona had spoken to him he seemed to understand and accept it.

"Markus!" She shouted louder as she finished locking up the door and walked towards the middle of the great hall.

"Sorry!" Markus shouted back as Alba heard his feet thundering off of the stone walls as he ran towards the balcony over-looking the hall, "I was in the chapel."

"No wonder you didn't hear me the first time." She said, "Fergus is at the front door waiting for you. He's ready to leave."

"Alright." He said in reply causing her to raise an eyebrow at him, "What?"

"Usually you're more moody about leaving." She said while crossing her arms. He gave an embarrassed smile before turning away and disappearing from her sight. She heard him walking around before hearing and then seeing him walking down the spiral staircase. He walked over to her as she stood looking at him with her arms crossed. "What is it Markus?"

"Alba, you're the closest thing to a mother that I have-" He began but she cut him off.

"Don't be giving me a goodbye speech or I'll have your guts for garters, laddie." She said and though it sounded like a joke even she could hear the sadness in her voice as she spoke. Markus shook his head causing his long coppery hair to sway from side to side.

"I'm not I promise." He said, "It's just that every other time I left you to go back to the main land after a visit I was always leaving you behind on your own but now," He turned and looked at the library where Bruce was sat -reading the same book from that morning- dressed in a purple shirt, brown cargo pants and black shoes. "You're not alone on the Isle anymore." The thought caused Alba to smile slightly before she gasped in shock as Markus quickly pulled her into a tight hug. She laughed as she hugged him back gently and rubbed his back with one hand.

"You're still so young Markus." She whispered to him, "Act more your age and live a little. Promise me that, or at the very least promise me that you'll be safe."

"I promise." He whispered back before releasing her and smiled at her. She didn't know which promise he made with her but she wasn't going to make him clarify which one to her as he started to ask her a question.

"Sorry, what was it that you said?" She asked.

"Are you and Doctor Banner going to walk down to the pier with me to see me off?" He asked causing her to blink at him before turning to look at the library to find Bruce looking at her through his glasses.

"If Bruce is up for the walk then I'm more than happy to go to the pier." She said while watching Bruce and clasping her hands in front of her. He seemed to watch her as well for a moment before realising that he needed to give both Alba and Markus an answer.

"Umm... Sure." He said after a moment, "I don't see why not."

"Alright." Markus said before heading towards the staircase, "Put something warm on. You're going to need it!"

"Tell Fergus that you'll be down in a moment." Alba said as she walked over to Bruce as he frowned in confusion, "Scottish weather awaits you outside if that's why you're confused."

"Who's Fergus?" He asked causing her to smile.

"Fergus is the old ferryman who brings Markus from the mainland to the Isle and from the Isle back to the mainland again." She said before picking up his cup of tea and leaving the library as he watched her. "If I were you, I'd put this on." She held up a long piece of black fabric once she had come back into the library.

"What is that?" He asked while standing up and walking over to her.

"A thick cloak," She said before throwing it around his shoulders and quickly done up the clasp, "Made in Scotland, the old way." She stepped back and looked him over. "It fits you perfectly." She smiled at him amused as she watched him look over himself. "What is it?"

"I look like _Dracula_." He said causing her to laugh, "What?"

"Oh sweetheart," She sighed, "I promise you, you look nothing like Vlad the Impaler." She looked up at him as he watched her with a surprised look. "What?"

"How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm not that old!" She said shocked -why she sounded shocked was beyond her as she never told anyone how old she was for such a long time- before turning away from him and walked over to the staircase while muttering, "Young people these days, such a nerve!" Bruce watched her leave surprised at her reaction but recovered quickly as he took a note of the information she had just handed him -Alba wasn't born in the 15th century so she was under the age of six hundred years old.

"Doctor Banner, are you coming or not?" Alba called from the entry hall causing him to shake his head before removing his glasses and walking up the staircase to the entrance hall. He stopped dead at the sight of the half human, half creature jade busts that stood on each side of him as he faced the large wooden and metal bracketed front doors.

"Good!" Markus said suddenly from the left door causing Bruce to look at him, "The fresh air will do you some good, for the both of you." Alba gave a small laugh as she pulled a tartan shawl around her shoulders before holding it in place with a clasp with a Celtic design. "Ready?"

"Aye." She said causing Markus to turn and look at Bruce.

"Ready to go outside _Dracula_?" Markus asked jokingly to which Alba stifled a laugh and Bruce nodded. Alba and Markus pulled the large and heavy doors open causing a gust of wind to come blowing inside.

"Best put the hood up Bruce." Alba said as she came out from behind the door she had pulled open and stood in the door way.

"What about the garden doors?" He asked.

"They're opening up now." She said while turning to face him, "Welcome to Fairy Rock." He looked at her confused before looking out through the open doors to see only a part of the grassy and slightly rocky patch of land outside her front door before looking out to the see in the far off horizon.

"Wow..." Was all he could manage to say before Markus walked out of the front doors.

"We better get going otherwise Fergus will have my head." He said while walking down a stony path followed by Alba and Bruce as she pulled him forward with her by the wrist after pulling his hood up for him.

"That's an understatement." She mumbled as the three of them continued down the path away from the castle, "Though I'm surprised that he hasn't already tried." She followed it around a bend and headed down the hillside -all the while she was still pulling Bruce by his wrist with her as he looked around him.

"Where are we?" Bruce asked as them both made it to half way down the hillside.

"A volcanic plug that's pretty close to being exactly half way between Glasgow and Belfast." Alba said without looking at him and therefor missing his look of surprise, "The Isle has many names like _Paddy's Mile Stone_ but the most well-known name is the Celtic name it was first given which was Ailsa Craig -meaning Fairy Rock."

"No wonder they called it Fairy Rock." Bruce replied while looking back up the hillside, "It's beautiful here." He meant it when he said it was beautiful because of the wild Scottish countryside -rocks and boulders sitting in the long green grass and patches of heather, the layers of the hill sitting protruding from the ground allowing homes for rabbits, foxes and other wildlife which ran about all around the both of you and what made the picture even better was the sight of the sea at the edge of the Isle. Though in the far off horizon, Bruce could see the mainland.

"One of the least touched Isles there is in Scotland." Alba said, "There was a mine here long ago but the workers that came here to mine hardly come here anymore. Well, human workers I mean."

"Human workers?" Bruce asked puzzled, "What do you mean?" Alba stopped and pointed to the rim of the Isle not too far from the sea.

"See the tracks?" She asked causing Bruce to look where she was pointing.

"Yeah."

"Well if you follow them north to go around the Isle anti-clockwise you'll find the old mine and the workers, who are all goblins."

"Goblins?"

"Ever read _Harry Potter_?"

"Yes, I have but only once."

"Well read it again because it's correct about Goblins and their nature to crave valuable items including Ailsite -the stone that curling stones are made of." Bruce looked at her amazed, "You know the _'Stones of Destiny'_ that were used in the _Sochi Winter Olympic Games_ earlier this year? They were made from the Ailsite mined here on Ailsa Craig." She smiled up at Bruce as he looked dumbfounded. "There's a lot about Scotland that only the few know and trust me when I say most of Scotland doesn't know about the world I live in. Yet it's all there, right under their noses but they just can't see it." Bruce just stared at her causing her to laugh at him.

"Hey!" Markus shouted up from the -not so far away- bottom of the hillside where he stood on a stony beach, "Are you two coming down or not? I swear you're both like the _Grand Old Duke of York's _men!"

"_And they were neither up nor down_." Alba said in a sing-song voice before laughing again as a gust of wind blew by her causing her hair to blow forward and cover her face, "We better get down there before the wind hits us, hard." She started to walk down the rest of the way but Bruce caught her wrist.

"Are you warm enough?" He asked causing her to nod with a shy smile.

"I'm Scottish born and bred." She said quietly before taking his hand in her causing him to frown slightly and a tiny bit of pink to dust his cheeks ever so lightly, "Come on."

Tony had been obsessed with finding Chaos ever since he found out her name. He knew that when he found her, he would have found Bruce too but he never thought it would be so hard to track her down. All the information on her was so vague -there wasn't a birth certificate or records that could tell him more about who she was and there wasn't anything that told him where she was last seen. She had vanished after the first few months in the year 1700 and it drove Tony crazy to have next to nothing on her.

"He seems more stressed than before." Steve commented to Natasha and Logan as they watched Tony from outside the lab.

"I'm not surprised." Natasha said, "Even I'm stressed about Bruce being missing."

"Why?" Logan asked.

"Because of whom he's with." Natasha said before the three of them turned around at the sound of heels hitting the floor as they moved towards the three of them, "Rona, back already?"

"I have to be." Rona said as she stopped in front of them, "I want to find out who that man was."

"Sounds fair." Logan said before a small bit of red dusted his cheeks lightly, "Uh... Rona, just to say that if you need someone to talk to then I'm-"

"Thanks Logan but I have my brother and cousin there for me." Rona said while moving forward towards the window that the other three were stood at. The window gave her the perfect view of Tony working away causing her worry.

"Everything alright Miss MacDonald?" Steve asked.

"I'm worried." Rona said.

"We all are." Steve said while placing a comforting hand on Rona's shoulder.

"Rona, can I try something with you?" Natasha asked.

"A cognitive interview?" Rona asked.

"Yes." Natasha said, "I've done it with Tony and we got a good result so if we try it with you then maybe we'll get some more results that will help us move forward and find Bruce faster." Rona thought for a moment before nodding in agreement to go ahead with the interview. "Okay, let's go somewhere private to do this."


	13. Chapter 13

"Well I'd be damn!" A husky male voice shouted as Alba, Bruce and Markus walked up the pier towards a small blue and white boat, "I must of had tae much tae drink!"

"Why can't a woman just get out of the house and take a walk Fergus?" Alba asked as the three of them stopped next to Fergus' boat as it gently bobbed up and down on the waves of the sea.

"A normal woman can take a walk but you, Madam, are anything but normal." Fergus said while pointing a thin and boney white finger at Alba, "Last time I saw ye it was tae pick up this boy and his... Hiccup! Sister!"

"How pished are ya Fergus?" Alba said before hopping off of the pier and onto the boat.

"'Ey! Nae lassies on me boat!" Fergus shouted.

"Aye, whatever!" She said causing Bruce to stare at her as she began searching the boat. It was clear to him that Fergus -who was tall, very skinny and boney with white skin, a long sheet of white hair pulled back into a low ponytail, dark eyes and stuck of boozes while dressed in faded jeans, a thick faded orange jumper, big heavy looking black boots and a blue cap to round the fisherman's look off- brought out the Scottish side of Alba very easily.

"Ye're 'ear tae see the boy oaf Madam, nae tae pull me boat apart!" Fergus said and finished off with a hiccup.

"Dinnae Fergus!" Alba said as she pulled the life jacket box open and began searching through it causing her tartan shawl and her brown to fall forward as she bent over to search through the box.

"Though ah have tae say," Fergus said while turning to look at her leaning over the box and searching through it, "Am enjoying the view." This caused Alba to stop and look at him. "Ya 'ave a wonderful arse on ya, Madam." At the mention of her rear-end Bruce and Markus' eyes moved from Fergus -who was talking- straight to Alba as she stood dressed in a white shirt, tartan shawl, brown boots and a pair of rather well fitting brown trousers with her rear-end in the air as she lent over the side of the box. Before any of them knew it Alba had grabbed the first thing at hand -a half filled bottle of whiskey which she had been looking for- and threw it at Fergus.

"'Ey! That was a 12 year auld malt whiskey ye bloody witch!" He shouted at her after dodging the bottle causing it to smash off of the cabin door.

"Tough shite ya drunk perverted elf!" She shouted back while turning around to face the two on the edge of the pier and crossed her arms over her chest -underneath the tartan shawl. Markus stifled a laugh at the two on the boat while Bruce pulled the hood of his cloak up as he felt his cheeks redden.

"It's noo funny laddie!" Fergus snapped at Markus who only laughed harder.

"He's right you know Markus." Alba said sternly, "He has to sail you back to the mainland." Markus waved his hand in the air to wave off this fact causing her to roll your eyes. "Bruce, could you give me a hand back up?"

"Y-Yeah sure." He stuttered before taking both of Alba's outstretched hands and pulled her back up onto the pier, "So, what's happening now then? Is Markus going to stay here?"

"No, he's going to get back to the mainland one way or another." She said before looking down at Fergus as he cleaned up the glass, "Whether I like it or not."

"I'll be fine Madam." Markus said.

"You won't be if you keep calling me Madam." She said while pointing a finger at him, "If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand more, don't call me by my title."

"Yes mother." Markus said with his cheeky boyish grin causing her to give him a gentle shove towards the boat with a smile of her own.

"Bye Markus, I'll see you when the next urgent matter raises it's ugly head." She said before gasping in surprise and stumbled back a bit as Markus' body hit her as he hugged her tightly.

"Read the paper." He whispered in her ear before letting her go and hopped down onto the boat.

"'ere Madam!" Fergus said causing Alba to look at him, "Next time ye're in the Undercity, there's an auld friend of yours that wants to see ya." He held up a folded piece of paper to her which she took and opened up. She gave a small and sad smile before nodding to Fergus. "A'll tell 'im tae keep an eye out for ya in the Auld Lion."

"Ta Fergus." She said while tucking the piece of paper in her pocket.

"Well, see ya then." Fergus said while casting off his line and pushed the boat away from the pier, "Till next time!"

"You too Fergus!" She shouted as she seen the boat float away a bit further, "See you around Markus!"

"Bye Alba!" He shouted back, "Doctor!" Bruce gave a wave before the roar of the old engine coming to life could be heard and with that the boat was gone. Alba sighed before turning to Bruce.

"So, anything you'd like to know about or see on the Isle this morning?" She asked.

"How about explaining exactly what got said," Bruce said while smiling sheepishly in the shadow of the hood, "Because I barely understood what got said." Alba tried really hard not to laugh but one little laugh got free causing her to bite on the largest knuckle on her left index finger.

"I'm so sorry!" She tried to say without releasing her finger from between her teeth. This caused Bruce to frown under his hood before she sighed, released her finger and pulled his hood down.

"Sorry Bruce." She said, "I forgot you wouldn't understand."

"I didn't even know you spoke like that." He said before he could stop himself, "So- Alba, are you alright?" Alba was looking out over the sea to the mainland with a look of longing mixed with a dreamy sort of look.

"I'm fine." She said after Bruce and had spent a few moments watching her concerned, "I've been in isolation for so long, I took a chance going to that ball and-"

"And people got hurt?" Bruce asked as sadness covered her face and tears began to fill her eyes. She nodded while looking down at the pier under her feet which was made with concrete. "It wasn't your fault though, Alba. You couldn't have know that all this was going to happen, you said so yourself -you couldn't have planned for this."

"Then why is it that for the first time -since I woke up here- I go back to the mainland end up finding The Devil's Servant before nearly being blown up and then bring you here?" Bruce watched her carefully as she watched the waves and the both of them stood in silence. He seen her close her eyes after a while and take a deep breath before turning to him and opening her eyes again.

"So, what do you want to know?" She asked -her question held a double meaning which Bruce picked up on.

"How long have you been here." He asked.

"Since I was twenty five years old." She said, "But now I'm by far older than that." The two of them turned suddenly as an odd sort of noise came from behind them. "Hey there wee man." Alba smiled causing Bruce to smile as well as the both of them looked down at the black and white feathered and orange and red beaked Puffin who was stood in front of them both looking about them all. It made the noise again and looked up at Alba and Bruce before making it's way towards and then past them both before stopping at the pier edge. The two watched it look down at the water before turning it's head to look at Alba causing her to laugh. It cocked it's head to one side while still looking at her before trying to turn around and walk away from the edge but ended up falling towards the water.

"Is this normal?" Bruce asked as Alba shook her head with a small smile after hearing the bird make a noise of surprise before landing in the water.

"Happens all the time." She said before the Puffin came bursting out of the water and taking off back to it's colony with two small fish in it's beak, "Ailsa Craig is a bird sanctuary as well as my home. There's some Puffins here as you saw but there's huge numbers of Gannets."

"How did you get them all here?" Bruce asked before the two of them set off down the pier.

"The Brotherhood thought I needed a hobby -other than magic- so they spoke to the RSPCA and they sorted out everything to make this place more than just my sanctuary." She said, "I had killed off all the rats long ago and the Puffins slowly started to come from the Glunimore and Sheep Islands -which are nearby anyway."

"There were rats, here?" Bruce asked as the two walked down the steps to the pier and onto the stoney beach.

"Yep!" She said, "And all of them were imported here by the ships that came here for the lighthouse." She pointed over to the lighthouse. "It's enchanted to work on it's own at night so no humans come here for that either."

"Do you wish that they would?"

"Yes, and no. I miss talking to people, listening to gossip and feeling like I'm not isolated or exiled but at the same time the less people that know I'm here, the harder it is for someone to find me."

"Like The Devil's Servant?" She nodded just as they both started towards the path up the hill. "So you're here because you're hiding from him?"

"In a way."

"What do you mean?" She stopped and thought about how to answer the question, "You don't have to give me an answer, I know why you don't tell me everything."

"I wish I could though. It would make life so much easier but life is never that fair." Bruce made a noise of agreement causing her to look up at him as he rand a hand back through his hair, "I am trying, I can promise you that."

"Huh?" He looked at her surprised before realising what she had meant -she thought that he was also talking about her secrets. "Alba, I honestly understand what you mean and I know how it feels from your point of view."

"How so?" Her question caused Bruce to look down at the ground in thought as she watched him carefully.

"I know because... Because I've gone through it before as well." She frowned slightly prompting him to explain, "Remember when I woke up after the ball and you started to explain things that you could tell me?"

She nodded slowly in reply.

"Well, I told you that when I get angry I lose control and turn into a monster. I didn't lie to you, Alba. In fact your the first person that I don't know anything about and told you outright about it." He gave a single confused but sad chuckle. She blinked and looked down at the ground as she thought about this for a moment. It was true that she had told him nothing about herself and he ended up just telling her something that he didn't want others to know. That was when she realised it.

"You didn't tell anyone else in the hope of keeping not just yourself but them safe as well." She sighed and buried her head in her hands, "I didn't believe you at first because of how Light you are but now I understand. You think you're Dark!" You looked back up at him to find him nodding with a grim face. The way he looked at that moment pulled at her heart and made her feel... Sad? Guilty? She just couldn't tell which emotion she was feeling.

"Bruce..." She said gently while reaching out and gently taking his hand in hers before pulling it out from under the cloak. She reached out and cupped his cheek with her other hand and gently guided his face to turn so he was looking at her. "I promise you, you're anything but Dark. You're no Creature of the Dark or a Monster of the Night. Whatever it is that you become when you're angry it most certainly isn't Dark. You're part of the Light, Bruce, and nothing will change that about you." She smiled slightly before looking into his brown eyes. "There's something within you Bruce that I've never seen before but it's anything but part of the Night or the Dusk." She felt his hand on the one she had cupping his cheek causing her to look at it as he gently placed his hand on top of hers.

"And what about you, Alba?" He asked, "You must be part of the Light, a Day Walker. You could never be Dark either." She looked back at him only to feel her cheeks heat up slightly as a light red dusted them. She smiled before removing her hand from his face and releasing his hand.

"You're right." She said, "I am a Dweller." She turned to head back the hill as Bruce frowned as he thought about what she said. "A good witch or wizard -one who lives in the Light- is known as a Day Dweller."


	14. Chapter 14

"**GET OUT**!" Alba screamed after finding a flock of sheep all staring at her and Bruce upon arriving back at the castle. Bruce jumped at the sheer volume of her voice as she screamed at the flock causing them to charge at her and Bruce. "**AND STAY OUT**!" She slammed the front doors shut with a small part of her magic -that gave her eyes a tint of dark blue- after both her and Bruce had dodged the fleeing flock.

"I swear I will turn them all into a dish for dinner one night!" She shouted before turning and looking at the mess that they had left behind, "Bruce, could you see how the great hall is looking please?"

"Sure." He said while taking off the clock she had given him as he walked towards the stairs. He looked around the great hall as he walked down the stairs and seen that there was mud leading away from the stairs towards the library where they turned around and headed to the kitchen. "Alba, am I right in saying you have an enchantment over the library entrances?"

"Yep!" She called back while fixing one of the jade busts causing her skin to turn blue, the dark blue to flood her eyes and her hair to thicken and darken until black. She was keeping an eye open for Bruce coming back up the stairs as she didn't want him to see this form.

"Explains a lot." Bruce said causing her to smile, "I'm guessing it's the same for the kitchen and the stairs?"

"Yeah it is." She said while slotting a piece back into place. As she let her attention slip away from the staircase to the bust she didn't realise that Bruce had seen the door she had locked earlier that was now busted open -due to what looked like the ram's horns picking a fight with the door. The hole in the door was big enough to allow a person through to the other side.

"Hey Tony," Natasha said as she walked back through to the lab after going through the cognitive interview with Rona, "Rona and I have finished up the interview and I- Umm... Hi?"

"Greetings!" Three voices sang together as Natasha stopped in the doorway of the lab.

"Hi... Uhh... Thor?" Natasha asked before turning to said God of Thunder and pointing to the four other gods in the lab -two of which were smiling at her, one was talking to Tony and the other one was looking at Natasha with a straight face.

"Lady Natasha, this is Lady Sif and the Warriors Three." Thor said smiling before introducing each of the Warriors Three, "This is Fandral the Dashing,

"Hello fair maiden." Fandral said while stridding forward towards Natasha before taking her hand and kissing the back of it lightly.

"Hogun the Grim." Thor said as Sif rolled her eyes and grabbed Fandral by the back of his armour before pulling him back while Hogun nodded to Natasha, "And finally Volstagg the Valiant."

"Good to meet you." Natasha said while recovering from her surprise while Volstagg waved and smiled at her.

"Good to m-!?" Tony said shocked, "It's wonderful to meet them! They've already helped in the search for Bruce!"

"What!? How!?" Natasha asked.

"We've eliminated some of the places you were looking in originally for the 'energy readings'." Sif said.

"Great! So where have you eliminated?" Natasha asked as she crossed the room to Tony and Sif.

"Edinburgh." Tony said, "There's nothing here in any records -other than arrest, trials and death records- that tells us the witch will be in Edinburgh."

"Okay so that leaves us with the rest of Scotland to cover." Natasha said.

"No, it doesn't." Sif said, "If we take into account the way that Loki use to ambush us in training then that narrows the amount of land to cover even more." Natasha raised an eye brow. "Let me explain."

"Please do." Tony said.

"I'll go and get the others." Natasha said before turning and leaving the lab.

Bruce pushed the wood of the door forward causing it to creak slightly. He looked up the stairs but Alba was nowhere in sight causing him to look back at the broken door before looking at the cloak in his hand. Looking back up the stairs one more time he checked that Alba was busy before throwing the cloak over the bottom of the hole in the door and then pushed some of the wood downwards so they were pointing towards the ground a bit more. The cloak had muffled the creaking noises of protest enough for Alba not to have heard them as Bruce made it safe for him to slip through the hole onto the other side.

"So, Loki's tactic in training was to find an isolated place with a high vantage point." Sif said, "It worked many times in our training sessions against ambush. He would always chose somewhere high, lots of visibility, remote, easy to defend and surprisingly it worked every time. It gave him time to plan his moves for every possible situation that we could create. He knew how to break our defences at every turn."

"So we're looking for a remote place with a building like a fort that's high up?" Clint asked.

"Exactly." Volstagg said, "It would need to be all of these things in order to both house and defend someone and the last time any of us were here on Midguard no-one really liked the idea of magic being used."

"But the whole of Scotland is littered with castles and forts." Steve said, "So how are we going to narrow this list down?"

"Well how many of them are ruins?" Hogan asked plainly.

"A good number of them." Steve said, "Only the ones in the city and very few others are still fully in tack." Hogan nodded as Volstagg spoke again.

"Then we'll have to look at each of them in turn and assess them." He said, "It will take time to do but it will help narrow down the number of places you're looking at."

"It won't take long if we use JARVIS to do a search." Tony said.

"I've already started Sir." JARVIS said from the computer next to Tony.

"Thank you." Tony said before smiling, "One step closer."

"Well we're about to give you another step." Fandral said, "From Heimdall himself."

Bruce had walked down the corridor to find the other door. It was closed over so he tested the handle -it was unlocked- and then pushed it slowly open. The amethyst sphere was the first thing that caught Bruce's eye as it sat peacefully glowing upon its display pillow prompting him to walk towards it. He frowned as he felt his shoe hit something on the floor causing him to stop and look down at the item -it was a book. He now noticed many other books lying on the floor along with sheets of paper, photographs, printouts and newspapers.

"What the?" He asked himself.

"Wait!" Clint said, "Heimdall is saying that there's more than just two of these beings out there? I mean more than this Chaos woman and this freaky guy with a giant ruby?"

"Heimdall has been looking into it and he tells us that there's a lot more than anyone thought." Sif said, "There's all kinds of beings on Earth. Even ones that shouldn't be here or are meant to be extinct. There's a whole living and breathing community ranging into the thousands in Scotland alone."

"Are they living within the human population?" Natasha asked.

"Some of them are." Sif said, "But many are living underground in a place called the Undercity."

"How does Heimdall know this?" Steve asked.

"He's all-seeing." Fandral said.

"But even at that these beings are evading his sight." Hogan said, "They are powerful with a very old power surrounding them."

"What could this old power be?" Steve asked but the four new members of the team shrugged, "Alright, tell me this instead -how do we find them then?"

"Do what you've already been doing so far." Sif said, "Look into all the records you have. This group -the Brotherhood- they seem to know everything about these witches and wizards rather well so they should hopefully have the information you are looking for."

"I'm on it!" Tony said.

Alba slotted the last piece of the jade bust into place before placing it back on its stand and dusting off its head. She smiled to herself as she looked around the entrance hall -Bruce hadn't come up the stairs. Though her smile fell away as she seen the amount of mess she had to clean up and knowing that the sheep had wondered in she was going to have to search for stray birds within the castle walls.

"Wonderful!" She said sarcastically as her skin slowly started to return to normal. She walked towards the staircase while undoing the Celtic clasp and removing her tartan shawl. "Bruce, was anything damaged down-?" She stopped as she reached halfway down the stairs. She noticed that Bruce wasn't in the great hall and before she knew it her eyes fell upon the broken door.

"No!"

Bruce had bent down and picked up the book he had kicked along with a few of the papers, photographs, printouts and newspapers. His eyes skimmed over the titles, over their contents, the faces they held and the information that they gave both on their own and what could be found when the pieces of the puzzle she had been constructing were put together. He was even more surprised when he found that the work he had done back at SHEILD HQ in Edinburgh closely mirrored that which Alba had done -only her work was in greater detail and understanding.

"The explosion, the reports from SHEILD, images, video feed, death records, travel records, statements," He said out loud as he looked through all of the items on the floor. He searched through the mass surrounding the pedestal that the sphere sat upon. He stopped when he seen a large brown leather bound book causing him to put the other items down and walk over to the large book. He undone a large brass buckle and opened the book while standing up to read it with the light from the sphere. "Trial and Execution records? Why would you be looking into that?" He let his eyes skim over the first page but he didn't read much of it as you ran into the room.

"Bruce!" Alba shouted as she came around the corner of the corridor. She stopped in the doorway as Bruce looked up at her. "What are you doing?" She tried to sound calm and natural but the worry she felt made it into her voice causing it to shake slightly which Bruce heard.

"I umm... I was just having a look. To see if anything was broken." He said. Alba looked around the room quickly before turning back to him.

"Thank you." She whispered as the words barely managed to leave her mouth.

"Alba, what are you doing with all this?" Bruce said while gesturing to the floor. Alba frowned before the candles began to flicker to life as she realised what he was talking about.

"I-I was looking into the explosion at Edinburgh Castle." She told him truthfully as she slowly stepped towards him. Her eyes darted to the sphere as it gave a very soft pulse before looking back at Bruce as he looked back at the book in his hands.

"You're using Trail and Execution records to look into the explosion?" Bruce asked while reading the first page, "How can these help you Alba? They're records from the 17th and 18th century." He looked back at her as she stopped about a foot away from the sphere.

"Have you read what the trails and executions were for?" She asked in a whisper. The question caused Bruce to frown before turning back to the book.

"Witch Trails."

"Hey Tony." Natasha said as the others of the team left the lab after talking to Sif and the Warriors Three.

"Yeah?" Tony asked after looking up from the printouts of records that he had looking for the Undercity.

"I'm going over what Rona said in her interview with me and something doesn't add up." She said.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked with a frown.

"It's what she says when we get to the storm part." Natasha said, "She said that she put up a shield but then changed it to '_I shielded my face with my arms'_ then she goes on to say she went looking for Bruce and when she found him he was awake and having difficulty trying to keep control."

"What did she say next?" Tony asked.

"Something I didn't understand." Natasha said, "It was another language."

"What was it?"

"Caidil."

"What Hell does that mean?"

"I wish I knew."

"Did she say anything else?" Natasha shook her head.

"After that she only remembers being outside the hall watching the ice disappear before rushing inside looking for you."

"Wait, she went back inside looking for me? Not her cousin or her brother or Bruce?"

"She knew that Markus was outside as he was next to her before she ran back inside the hall. As for Bruce I think she must have assumed that he was outside as well her as she can't remember leaving the hall -just her brother holding her at arm's length asking if she was okay."

"What about Alba?"

"What about her?"

"Where was she at the time?" Natasha frowned at the question, "Nat, does anyone know where Alba was during the fire and the ice?" She just looked at him blankly. She didn't know the answers Tony was asking for. "Does anyone know where she was at all after all the madness passed?"

"T-Tony... I-I don't know..."

"JARVIS, do a search for a Miss Alba Windsor. We need her address and her where-about as fast as you can."

"Right away Sir."

"Shit!" A female voice said while the owner of the voice moved their pure white hands away from a sphere showing Tony and Natasha sat in the lab talking. Once their hands had been removed the image of Tony and Natasha faded away to show a crystal sphere before it turned into a silvery white shimmering pattern covering a sea green Seraphinite sphere. "This isn't good. Charlie!"

"Yes, Miss MacDonald?" A tall and skinny woman with short spiky hair, deep brown eyes and pure white skin asked after opening up a light wood veneer door. She stood in the doorway while watching the smaller woman in front of her.

"Send a message to my brother Markus." The woman said while turning to face Charlie and looked upon her with large grey eyes, "Tell him that SHEILD are looking for the Madam."

"Of course." Charlie said before looking back at the smaller woman as she turned away from her and back to the Seraphinite sphere, "Rona, is the Madam going to be alright?" Rona looked back at Charlie. Gone were her green eyes and her long ginger hair and replaced with watchful and unreadable grey eyes and long straight lilac hair.

"I don't know Charlie." Rona said, "I honestly don't know. She won't talk! Not to Markus, not to me!"

"What about this human she has staying with her?" Charlie asked while walking over to Rona and placing a thin hand on one of Rona's slim shoulders, "This Doctor Banner, do you think he can loosen her tongue and get something out of her?" Rona laughed.

"If he can manage that then I'll pray to God and thank him for the miracle." Rona said causing Charlie to laugh.

"I'll get that message to your brother and then maybe you should go back to your guests." Charlie said while walking away from Rona and over to the door she came through, "I can entertain them a little longer while you gather your thoughts just enough to look human again."

"Thank you Charlie." Rona said before Charlie closed the door.

"Were you looking for the Warlock in these records?" Bruce asked as Alba watched him. His question made her think about how to continue and not before long she slowly nodded her head. "Were you expecting him to appear again?" She sighed while shifting uncomfortably.

"_In some time to come there will be an event of disaster where they will meet again; the witch and the devil that put her upon his cross._" She recited causing Bruce to watch her, "_They will return and in a flash of light and heat causing an explosion of such power it will send angels and the Brotherhood running, humankind into panic and creatures of the dark into divide._

"Two weeks ago there was a flash of light and heat that caused an extremely powerful explosion. We were both in it. The Devil's Servant returned to full power that night for the first time in three hundred and fourteen years but he was only one side of the coin. There was also another being, from the same time as him and just as powerful. At one point they viewed each other as equals."

"_The Witch Upon the Devil's Cross_." Bruce said understanding what she was meaning, "She's still alive?" She nodded in reply. "So the story is true and the prediction is true as well?"

"The Brotherhood is already worrying about what happened." She said before smiling slightly as a thought past through her mind, "They'll run for the hills if they find out that the Devil's Servant is back. The amount of destruction he caused back then would make the Battle of New York look like nothing more than a child's temper tantrum."

"Isn't that what it was in the first place?" Bruce asked causing her to laugh slightly before reaching out for the book in Bruce's hands. He frowned at her causing her to withdraw her hands.

"Do you still want to know about him and what happened?" She asked causing Bruce to nod and her to give him a small smile, "Okay, we're going to need all this then. I hope you're ready for another history lesson?" She bent down and started to collect some of the papers off of the floor.

"Is it more in depth than the last one?" Bruce asked as he helped collect all the papers on the floor.


End file.
